The Role Of Shunning In The 17th Century

By the mid-seventeenth century, the process of witchcraft in England had already subsided. The persecution on such a scale as they occurred in England and Scotland can be explained by the crises of England during the Civil War. All controls failed because the state and its judiciary were not working properly. Under extreme conditions, some extreme behavior occurred.

Periods of religious, social, and economic turmoil often provoke extremist movements. This is particularly true in regards to the European “Witch Craze,” an era from the late fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries characterized by mass hysteria towards individuals suspected of practicing “witchcraft.” However, several external factors throughout Europe served to precipitate the persecution of these individuals, a vast majority of which were female. One such factor was the Protestant Reformation, a movement led by influential religious figures such as Martin Luther in Germany and Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland, who attempted to reform the corruption and abuses of the Roman Catholic Church, thus inadvertently leading to the formation of Protestant religions within the Christian faith. This act of dissent amplified religious tensions throughout Europe, therefore intensifying religious sentiments, such as the fear of satanic worship. Additionally, during this time period, Europe was faced with immense hardships in the form of natural disasters, famine, war, and devastation of the Black Plague, which not only created an apprehensive environment in which many sought out an explanation or scapegoat for their misfortunes, but significantly damaged Europe’s economic stability, thus causing people to go to extremes in order to support themselves economically. These factors were a lethal combination, creating a general climate of terror and doubt throughout Europe. To this end,

did not stand with the church were not looked at as ethical people. In the sense that they could not

During the 16th century, Protestantism emerged as a new sect of Christianity. This process was not calm or peaceful in the slightest. Protestant leaders like Martin Luther and John Calvin fiercely attacked and denied traditional Catholic beliefs, causing much controversy and debate upon religion. Many regions of Europe as a whole were converted to Protestantism, and many more Protestants emerged in areas where Catholicism remained the state religion. The Catholic faith became less and less appealing to people as the abuses of the clergy were now publicly addressed by reformers and a new, personal approach to religion was offered in Protestantism. In addition, rulers favored Protestantism as a state religion because it meant that no power

During the late fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries, thousands of individuals were persecuted as witches. It was thought that these individuals practiced black magic and performed evil deeds, the deeds of the devil. This all happened during a time of great change in Europe, during the time of the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, and the consolidation of national governments. They were persecuted for a variety of reasons, but three major ones were religious reasons, social prejudices, and the economic greed of the people. Religious leaders such as Martin Luther and John Calvin influenced the ideas of their followers. Religion dominated the time period and it’s easy to see how many opinions

Views on religion usually range from deep impression on the matter to almost no opinion at all. However during the 16th century, religion was an extreme part of society and the public, especially during the Protestant Reformation. This reformation was a Christian fluctuation that took place in the 16th Century and was not only a religious movement, but a political, cultural and social development was well . Growing discomfort was a major origin due to a wide range of people becoming unhappy with ways of the church. Likewise, sermon confusion was established as another cause because people discovered that some priests were mistranslating sermons for their own greed. Finally, many important people, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin, rose

The seventeenth century was a time of great religious excitement both in Europe and America. It had been widely believed even before the Puritans left England that witchcraft was a well-practiced profession in Europe. The times for settlers in the New America proved to be quite different and so ever changing. With many new rules, laws, regulations and curfew a true government was being born. Throughout this vast change, religious beliefs became so strong to be studied and participated in. Religions that divided from Christianity and Catholic beliefs, such as Puritans, who had a clear vision of what their churches were going to be like. Witchcraft had been a crime a long time before the trials in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and prior

The image the author gives the reader of this element is that of Jesus stating the commandment of loving your neighbor as yourself. You cannot be transformed without first putting others first because one’s relationship with God encompasses relationships with each other.

Women did not get together with each other, they were required to stay inside along with female children and perform domestic duties. Some women took them seriously and others did not. Those who did not take their roles seriously became a threat to others. Women who did not follow the gender norms of the seventeenth century was considered more susceptible to accusations of witchcraft. If you were not being a wife or mother in the house, it only left those to believe you were fulfilling the works of Satan (witchcraft). Women began to accuse other women of witchcraft. “Mary Lacey called Burroughs the ‘King of Hell’ and Martha Carrier of Andover his Queen. She also names Cory and Nurse as Satan’s two deacons” (Ray 88). Allegations of witchcraft became wicked when women accused women of corrupting their children. Many women were accused of witchcraft, which continued. Even

The Middle ages had a rise of anti-Jewish sentiment and persecution. The Jewish was the outsiders and had targets on there back every where they went. The Churches had certain feelings about them that was not the best feelings they should of had. Jews were targeted for many reasons by the Catholic Church because of Sanitation, Blood Libel and Killers of Christ.

The most compelling reason such witch trials became prominent in this era was because of religion. Throughout this time period, many of the religious village people believed in Puritanism, a religion that was created during the late 16th century in order to purify the Church of England. Puritans believe that it is absolutely necessary to be in a pure relationship with God in order to be able to redeem oneself. It is because of the

Witch hunting was the persecution and possible execution of individuals considered to be ‘witches’ loyal to the devil. It was an all too common occurrence from 1603-1712 all over Europe. However in order to understand why this happened the context must be taken into account. It was a time of change, the Renaissance - the rebirth of culture, ideas and attitudes to living. The Reformation had also only been implemented in England in the last 80 years back from 1603, when it had previously been catholic for centuries. The English civil war from 1642 to 1651 is argued to have played a part in the intensification of the witch hunts in England due to the peak in executions whilst it was on going. Some historians have taken the view that in time of crisis certain groups can be victimised like in wars, famine, disease outbreaks and changes in society structure.

“Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all my

The 17th century was torn by witch-hunts and wars of religion and imperial conquest. Protestants and Catholics denounced each other as followers of Satan, and people could be imprisoned for attending the wrong church, or for not attending any.

He says: “you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…” (Deuteronomy 5:9)