Witchcraft 15th-18th Century

1. Witchcraft 15th-18th Century Paul Georgin and Alex Barnes

2. Causes • Fear of the supernatural • Persecution of heresy • Witchcraft being labelled heresy • Sometimes seen as a way to keep women in their place

3. What were the penalties of witchcraft • Witches were often tortured until they “confessed” • There were many varieties of torture that was used after the witch was found “guilty” • Witches were often hung or burned

4. Malleaus Maleficarum (1487) • The book used to determine whether a person was a witch or not • First section describes how to become a witch • Second section describes their recruiting process and powers • The third part describes how to prosecute a witch

5. Where Witch Trials Occurred? • Started in France • Mainly Continental Europe but also Britain and Scotland • In Germany from 1550-1685 there were 50,000 witchcraft trials • Where as 5,000 witchcraft trials in England and Scotland combined. • The last witchcraft trial in England was in 1717 • The intensity of the witch hunt varied enormously in different parts of Europe. French and German-speaking areas bordering the Rhine accounted for a very high proportion of all witchcraft trials and executions; England and the Netherlands for very few. In Spain and Portugal the Inquisition's insistence on legal propriety protected most of those accused of witchcraft. Many witches were prosecuted in Scotland and Switzerland. • Last legal execution for witchcraft was in 1782 in Switzerland.

6. “Proof” • The Book of Job was frequently cited by those writing on witchcraft to prove the devil's power • Often times evidence was not needed in order to convict somebody of witchcraft • Confessions were usually forced out of the victims through torture or some sort of terrible test that usually ended up in death either way

7. What witches were believed to do • Many people believed that witches had made a pact with the devil in order to harm others • Witches met at sabbats or nightly meetings where they would do wicked things such as dance naked or even eat babies. • As heresy was considered something that would harm society witches were dealt with severely • Three statutes were passed against witchcraft in England: 1542 (repealed in 1547), 1563 (repealed in 1604) and that of 1604 (repealed in 1736). The last of these mentioned covenanting with the devil, and it did not emphasize this.

8. How many witches were persecuted? • The best estimates suggest between 50,000 and 100,000 witchcraft trials • There were not many mass witch burnings, in England the largest one was in Lancashire and consisted of 19 witches.

9. What they looked like • Witches tended to be considered ugly old women. However, about 15% of European witches were men. • There were a few instances where a witch was a young good looking woman • Surprisingly many children were persecuted, many of them were poor and illegitimate.

10. Persecution • Often carried out through torture in order to get a confession which actually caused more fear of witches because the confessions would provide substance to the idea that witches were real • Matthew Hopkins was a renowned witchfinder in England between 1645-1646 persecuted about 230 witches “Devil or devil’s dam, I’ll conjure thee: Blood will I draw on thee, thou art a witch, And straightway give thy soul to him thou servest.” (Henry VI i 1.5)

11. How does this connect with European history Witch hunting reflected the tendency of European society to persecute each other for being associated with certain other parts of society with no proof. This will be especially relevant during the French Revolution where people were put to the guillotine for being accused of saying heresy against the new French state. Persecution of witches relates back to the Thirty Years War because Protestants and Catholics fought each other viciously because heresy was seen as a detriment to society. Witches were therefore harshly persecuted and murdered as they were associated with the devil. Witchcraft was often used in order to repress religious dissent, much of which was done by women.

12. How did Magic and Witches change European life • Alchemy lead to the founding of medicines and new scientific communities. Improvements in lab equipment are generally credited to alchemy. • The alchemist Glauber discovered sodium sulfate in 17th century and was the first to produce concentrated hydrochloric acid and nitric acid • The idea of magic itself affected many aspects of European life as people would often blame witches for their problems. • It was common for farmers to blame a witch instead of themselves if their crops failed or animals died.

13. Magic • Believed Magic was what caused diseases • Evil Spirits would enter the body and cause the disease • The infected would then look for a cure through magic

14. Alchemy • Similar chemistry but with a supernatural twist which led to different goals. • Played a large part in the 17th century in the discovery of new elements as well as medicines. • Texts published in the 17th century provided a basis for a scientific community to help lead to higher thinking. • Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727), known as the father of modern physics focused most of his time on alchemy. Newton searched for a recipe for the Philosophers’ Stone, a legendary substance that reputedly could turn base metals like iron and lead into gold. The fact that a man like Newton believed that humans could harness “magic” characterizes the society of his time. Even one of the most learned men had his superstitions and beliefs in magic.

15. Alchemy • Was supposed to transform any metal into gold • Supported by the church as a means to get more gold • Eventually alchemy was separated from chemistry • Helped scientific discovery • Was part of the discovery of Gunpowder

16. Bibliography Fitzharris '04, Lindsay, "Magic, Mysticism, and Modern Medicine: The Influence of Alchemy on Seventeenth-Century England" (2004).Honors Projects.Paper 16. http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/history_honproj/16 Bosveld, Jane. "Isaac Newton, World's Most Famous Alchemist." Discovermagazine. Last modified December 28, 2010. Accessed October 11, 2013. http://discovermagazine.com/2010/jul-aug/ 05-isaac-newton-worlds-most-famous-alchemist#.Ulf8Hhb6oeM. "A Short History of Witchcraft.." A Short History of Witchcraft.. http://wiccanone.org.uk/history.html (accessed October 28, 2013). Lambert, Tim. "The Witch Hunts." The Witch Hunts. http://www.localhistories.org/witchtrials.html (accessed October 28, 2013). Encyclopedia Britannica. "Malleus maleficarum (work by Kraemer and Sprenger)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/360358/Malleus-maleficarum (accessed October 28, 2013).

17. Bibliography cont. "The Magic and Myth of Alchemy." , Lloyd Library and Museum. http://www.lloydlibrary.org/exhibits/alchemy/history.html (accessed October 28, 2013). BBC. "The horrors of the 17th Century witch hunts." BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/cambridgeshire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8998000/8998465.stm (accessed October 28, 2013). "Witchcraft." Witchcraft. http://faculty.history.wisc.edu/sommerville/367/367-131.htm (accessed October 28, 2013). "Witchcraft France America." Angelfire. http://www.angelfire.com/oh5/writing/WitchcraftFranceAmerica.pdf (accessed October 28, 2013). "Witchcraft in 16th & 17th Century England - The Tudor Enthusiast." The Tudor Enthusiast. http://thetudorenthusiast.weebly.com/1/post/2012/10/witchcraft-in-16th-17th-century-england.html (accessed October 28, 2013).