HIST 421 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Witch Trials In The Early Modern Period, Anabaptism, Ice Age
Document Summary
Lecture 14 - the great witch hunt: case studies. There are some witch trials in the 1530s, but they tended to be more isolated. There are scattered trials but the frequency declined after the 17th century. Between 1570 and 1590 more intense persecution began, the 1560s were pretty well the turning point. There were trials earlier, but really, major trials and trials that accused witches of diabolical witchcraft started in the 1580s on. This area was one of the most intensive witch hunts per person with high levels of execution (80% on occasion) Factors ranging from religion, to language to the size of the town and how it was controlled. There were religious divisions, most of the area was catholic but there were protestant enclaves, one of them being. Strasbourg was a religious town with weird characters there, there were prophets who were inspired by the holy spirit and thought they could see the future.
