European History Research Project : The Witch Trials

A few centuries ago in Europe, the fear of witchcraft led to witch hunts and executions. These occurred mostly in France, Germany, northern Italy, and Switzerland. “Tens of thousands of people in Europe and European colonies died,” and “millions of others suffered from torture, arrest, interrogation, hate, guilt, or fear,”. It is estimated that the early modern witch trials claimed the lives of nine million Europeans, 80% of whom were women which led early feminists such as Margaret Murray, Mary Daly and Barbara Ehrenreich, among others, to wonder: “Was the witch-hunt an intentional woman-hunt”. Back then, women were accused of being witches since Accusations of witchcraft required no evidence of guilt. The trials were “intended only to produce

Females in the 1692-1693 were one of the largest groups accused of being part of the Salem Witch Trials. According to Washington State University, “As events unfolded, 185 people were accused at Salem, 141 women and 44 men. Of that number, 52 women and 7 men were tried; 26 women and 5 men were convicted; and 14 women and 5 men were executed, the last group on September 22, 1692.”(Campbell 1) this statistic shows that women were more likely to have been accused of being a Witch. Women were thought to be much lesser than men and weren't

Witch trials were a big part of the United States’ history. During the witch trials violence was more abundant than usual. They really started getting “popular” in the late 1600’s. The violence of the trials impacted people’s lives so heavily back then. By looking at witch trials, we can see the vicious impact it had, which most readers don’t see; this is important because it shows that violence was and is always the answer. People were most commonly tortured by stoning, being burned alive, and by placing heavy rocks on top of one’s body until they died. Women and, sometimes, men went into hiding and feared for their children and their own lives. Puritans wanted to please God and they thought killing witches, who were thought to be satanic, would be a good deed. Cotton Mather was one of those Puritans. Violence was a public practice and people would often come out with their kids and watch the trials so everyone became desensitized, for a period of time, but it also struck fear into the people who were “not doing what they were supposed to do”, according to the Puritans, or who were mentally disabled.

During the Salem Witch Trials, many women and some men were accused of witchcraft. The Salem Witch Trials took place from February of 1692 to May of 1693. The result was an execution of 20 people. Fourteen of them were women and all but one was hanged. Five others died in confinement.

While there were majority women being accused of being a witch, there were also men. There was a total of 110 women and 24 men (134 total) accused of being witches. The accusers were majority single women around 16-20 years of age. (Doc 5) Society treated these women poorly. During an examination of an accused witch, Bridget Bishop, two teenagers manipulated the people. As an example, if Bridgit would shake her head, the two teen would do likewise as if they were put under

One of the most interesting aspects of the European witch trials between 1450 and 1750 is the frequency with which accused witches confessed to the crime of witchcraft throughout the legal proceedings. While some confessions were offered voluntarily, most were not, and extreme measures were often employed by prosecutors to force confessions from the accused. Among the questions this raises, a prominent one is why obtaining confessions to witchcraft was so crucial. This paper argues that confessions were so important in continental Europe because of the critical developments they facilitated: namely, confessions allowed prosecutors to secure convictions of witchcraft within a judicial system that required high standards of proof; they produced information that was invaluable to the creation and spread of the concept of witchcraft; and they validated the guilt of the accused, the reality of

In Europe from the late fifteenth to early seventeenth centuries many people, both men and women, were persecuted as witches. The reasons for the persecution of individuals as witches included gender discrimination, religious fanaticism, an explanation for the otherwise unexplainable events that took place, and even as a way for secular officials to gain more wealth. Misogyny being a cause to the witch trials may have resulted from the new roles of women in society conflicting with the traditional views of women as sinful, and also accounts for why the majority of individuals persecuted were women. A religious spark was ignited during the Protestant Reformation as people became more religiously devoted and wanted to eliminate threats to their faith, such as witches. Many strange occurrences such as disease or even non-harmful events that were simply unexplainable led people to believe witches as the causes. Some people may have not even believed another person to be a witch but may have just wanted wealth and that person’s possessions and declared them a witch for that reason. All these factors contributed to the period now known as the witch craze, which resulted in the torture and death of many people.

and others were in fact working for the devil. Belief in the supernatural and in the devil’s practice in Europe as early as the 14th century, and was widespread in New England. Several accused “witches” confessed also naming others, and the trials soon began to build. Many women, but also men, were accused of being involved with the use of witch craft, and if they weren’t sentenced to death, they were put in

Overall women made up around 75% of those who were executed for witchcraft. Yet the fact that a significant proportion of accused witches were men does not undercut the idea that misogyny was a factor in the witch hunts. Social structures had the ability to influence these witch hunts. The change in this social and economic balance shifted and so did the common concept of a witch’s gender. Women gaining power threatened the male-dominated society.

The term witchcraft is defines as the practice of magic intended to influence nature. It is believed that only people associated with the devil can perform such acts. The Salem Witch Trials was much more than just America’s history, it’s also part of the history of women. The story of witchcraft is first and foremost the story of women. Especially in its western life, Karlsen (1989) noted that “witchcraft challenges us with ideas about women, with fears about women, with the place of women in society and with women themselves”. Witchcraft also confronts us too with violence against women. Even through some men were executed as witches during the witch hunts, the numbers were far less then women. Witches were generally thought to be

Throughout the witch hunts, women were the primary target; most victims being midwives, native healers, single women who lived alone, people against whom neighbors had a grudge or practitioners of ancient pagan rituals. Although not all were women, 75 to 90% of accused witches were in fact women (Levack,. p. 124), forcing one to question the affects of the harsh portrayal of women being placed on women.

The Rise of Witch Hunts in Europe During the Early Modern Period Tens of thousands of people were persecuted and put to death as witches between 1570 and 1680 – known as the great age of witch-hunts. Europeans had an extensive range of magical beliefs and practices, mainly due to the Christian belief that magic exists. The elite believed in magic as fervently as the most ignorant peasant. It was believed that some members of the society sold their soul to the devil giving them power to inflict pain on others and take part in supernatural performances.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, Europe experienced a widespread belief in witchcraft and a subsequent witch craze. The witch craze spread like wildfire throughout the continent and many were hunted, persecuted, and executed for proposed maleficent acts. Economic hardships, religious fervor, and political support helped to fuel the fire that blazed through the continent. Those accused were predominantly women of low socioeconomic status. Life was precarious during this time period resulting in malnourishment and rampant disease. Ignorance and a highly superstitious population saw witchcraft as an explanation for sickness, death, failed crops, or any other mysterious malevolent acts. As a result of the geographical separation of the British Isles, the witch trials of England and Scotland were unique and differed from the mainland. Also, by comparison, the witch trials of England and Scotland were very different from one another. The two cultures differed in their accusations of witchcraft, the nature and extent of their trials, and the use of torture.

During the Middle Ages in the 1700s, there was a witch craze throughout Europe. Witches were reported, tortured, and punished. Roughly 100,000 of them were put on trial, many of whom were tried in southeastern Europe. During the height of the witch hunt, the Reformation started which had an immense impact on the witch craze. Both Protestant and Catholic followers contributed the craze by their notions of the Devil's powers. Furthermore, with the Reformation and the witch craze occurring at relatively the same time period, the religious insecurity only added to the height of the witch hunts. As several Europeans of this era were Roman Catholics, witches were perceived as having connections with the Devil. Because of this, the three major reasons for the execution of witches were religious beliefs, social prejudices, and personal disputes.

The “hunts” were efforts to identify witches rather than pursuits of individuals who were already thought to be witches. Witches were considered to be followers of Satan who had traded their souls for his assistance. It was believed that they employed demons to accomplish magical deeds, that they changed from human to animal form or from one human form to another, that animals acted as their “familiar spirits,” and that they rode through the air at night to secret meetings and orgies. There is little doubt that some individuals did worship the devil and attempt to practice sorcery with harmful intent; however, no one ever embodied the concept of a “witch” as previously described.