Witches Of Europe in the 1580-1700

Merry Huang, Amanda Lai, Michelle Egger, Kayla Donaldson

Thesis

During the 16th to 18th century a huge spike and eventual decline in witch hunts and trials occurred because of lack of education, economic gain for others, and new religious awareness; although an inevitable downward trend emerged due to a new understanding of the world, enactment of witchcraft acts, and secularization in society.

Rise: Lack of EducationWeather, nature forces

Entertainment

Little desire

Spread – books

Social economic conflict

http://www.scrollpublishing.com/store/media/1500s-Europe-01.jpg

Rise: Economic Gain

Peasants, middle class

Witch hunt jobs

Social disruption

Witch craft advantage

http://www.profilehomes.com/images/0496_smallholdings-with-barns-land-for-sale-carmarthen-west-wales_00vfu-wpl.jpg

Rise: Religious AwarenessKings James I – Daemonologie

Lutheran doctrinal changes

Martin Del Rio – Jesuit

Suppress popular folk magic

Confessionalism – Catholic belief and movement

http://www.miltonhistory.org/St_Josephs_Catholic_Church.jpg

Quote from The Witch Bull“…give themselves over to devils male and female, and by their incantations, charms, and conjurings, and by other abominable superstitions and sortileges, offences, crimes, and misdeeds, ruin and cause to perish the offspring of women, the foal of animals, the products of the earth, the grapes of vines, and the fruits of trees, as well as men and women, cattle and flocks and herds and animals of every kind, vineyards also and orchards, meadows, pastures, harvests, grains and other fruits of the earth; that they afflict and torture with dire pains and anguish, both internal and external, these men, women, cattle, flocks, herds, and animals, and hinder men from begetting and women from conceiving, and prevent all consummation of marriage; that, moreover, they deny with sacrilegious lips the faith they received in holy baptism; and that, at the instigation of the enemy of mankind, they do not fear to commit and perpetrate many other abominable offences and crimes, at the risk of their own souls, to the insult of the divine majesty and to the pernicious example and scandal of multitudes.”

! Black Mass ! During the mass they act as his servers, chanting in g ruff, harsh, and tuneless voices. The Devil recites the Mass from the missal and preaches a sermon in which he says that they are not openly to acknowledge their belief in any other god than him, assuring them that it is he who will save and take them to paradise.

-Salazar Documents

http://books.google.com/books?id=DRWGZKmbwh8C&pg=PA120&lpg=PA120&dq=black+mass+%2B+persecution+of+witches&source=web&ots=yh-wRHgyIw&sig=i3PlgImhL7eD8NnEIssBFAdpOrg&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result#PPA120,M1

Decline: New Understanding of the World

Schools/universities

Literates

Medical science

Anatomy

Reasonable explanations

http://www.concierge.com/images/destinations/destinationguide/europe/scotland/glasgow/glasgow/

glasgow_005p.jpg

Decline: Acts/EdictsKramer’s Hammer of Witches inaccurately represents Inquisition

La Suprema issues “Edict of silence”

Witchcraft act of 1735 – witch craft no longer legal offence

^ act targets fakes

Austria, France, Poland ends witch hunts

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i166/turtlefreak125377/lol-18.jpg

Decline: Secularization in Society

Dedication to state becomes more important than religionEurope’s rulers no longer need scapegoats to blameSocial institutions are autonomous and secularizedReturn to old legal traditionsNew image of women no longer fit witch stereotype http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/northamerica/

before1500/economy/pictures/farming.jpg

ConclusionThe persecution of others has occurred for thousands of

years, but from 1580 to 1750 a huge spike could be seen in the sheer number and brutality of the cases, trials, and hunts. Many historians agree that the rise in witchcraft can be attributed to religious change, the uninformed nature of the public and the greed of common townsfolk, while the decline can be credited to a better education in society, legislation against witchcraft persecution, and secularization in culture. At the time of the trials most of the public truly believed they were doing the right thing by exterminating the witches, but now as a culture looking back, it is a part of the past that most would like to forget, and all want to prevent from ever happening again in our modern world.