5. The Great Witch Hunt, in Bamberg, Germany, 1623–32 Flashcards
DISORGANISATION OF HRE
(Long term causation)
- geographical & religious boundaries overlapped
- towns given freedom to make their own judgements
diff levels of witch-hunts, demonstrated difference in power, fragmented - uneven distribution of the economy
- Emperor so far away, cannot make real change (prince-bishop had to deal with problems like inflation)
BUT, been around for decades –> needs a CATALYST
COUNTER REFORMATION
(Long term causation)
COUNTER REFORMATION:
- led by zealous Prince-Bishops
- Jesuits were fiercely anti-Protestant
- in return, Protestants believed Catholics were in league with the Devil
- Parish Church in Zeil –> women chained in purgatory, link between Protestantism & witchcraft
- von Auschhausen: convert P –> C, exiled dissidents who did not convert
- majority of Bamberg = Protestant, having a Catholic Prince-bishop in charge would create a witch craze
THIRTY YEARS WAR
(Long term causation)
THIRTY YEARS WAR:
- 800,000 florins debt
- defenestration of Prague
- crop failures and inflation –> increased fear in witches. misfortune = everywhere
- increased rivalry between religions. not Catholic = heretics
- women whose sexual behaviour deviated from Catholic values
- upper class - disproportionately targeted due to property confiscations
LITTLE ICE AGE
(Short term causation)
LITTLE ICE AGE:
- trials peaked in 1629 –> frost destroyed wine crops
- year without a summer
- authorities levy high taxes
- interest of Prince-Bishop to carry out witch hunts to ensure frost wouldn’t return
VON ASCHHAUSEN
(Short term causation)
VON ASCHHAUSEN:
- set example of how to carry out witch hunts (e.g. used previous witch hunts to encourage self funded witch hunts using property confiscations)
- executed 300 witches
- prioritised the conversion of P –> C (fines imposed on parishes who insisted on remaining Protestant, dissidents sent into exile)
- sent unco-operative priests to their own prison
- compare to von Dornheim - would VD have done what he did without the actions of VA?
- by the time VD was elected prince-bishop, any opposition to witch-hunting was effectively removed and the hunts could begin again.
INFLATION
(Short term causation)
INFLATION:
- reserve currency across Europe decreased gold content from 79% to 77%
- money lost real value & poor weather –> crop failures –> inflation
- people = little understanding of economics, only explanation = magic & witches
- coin clipping decreased value of coins
- Margaretha Eissmennin –> after extensive coin slipping, forced to turn to the Devil –> familiar tale of the poverty-stricken witch
HEREDITARY GUILT
(Continuation factors)
HEREDITARY GUILT:
- where a father was initially accused, his whole family would be executed along with him.
e.g Georg Hann questioned the trials after the execution of his wife and daughter. His son and daughter in law were then condemned after protesting against the unfair treatment of Hann and his wife.
PROPERTY CONFISCATIONS
(Continuation factors)
PROPERTY CONFISCATIONS:
- encouraged persecution of the upper class –> more panic
- victims responsible for all their court costs, reducing the financial liability of the state.
- paid for travel expenses of torturers and their own execution
- witch hunt paid for itself –> witch hunting industry, local economy benefited
- around 500,000 florins in total confiscated.
CAROLINA LAW CODE 1532
(Continuation factors)
CAROLINA LAW CODE (1532):
- reconfirmed and allowed for an extensive range of torture to be used on suspects.
- allowed property confiscations
- judicial freedom given to the prince-bishops as no judges ensured it was upheld.
- thumbscrews, strappado, whipping, excessive salt and pepper in food, deprived of water and sleep
- John Junius –> panic in all social groups, rich people could also be accused. money and connections = more susceptible to accusations.
- John Junius’ wife executed as a witch –> implicating him by association –> HEREDITARY GUILT = underlying root cause of many accusations and why it became so widespread.
BUT, this law existed for years, so the underlying economic context allowed this law to actually have effects on the witchhunt, e.g. the little ice age and the thirty years war
VON DORNHEIM & FORNER
(Continuation factors)
VON DORNHEIM & FORNER:
- drudenhaus (1627) - 30/40 suspects held at a time. walls had biblical texts
- property confiscations - motivation to persecute upper class. 500,000 florins total
- accused had to pay for the entire trial –> developed a witch-hunting industry, local economy benefited
- no opposition who could stop him
FORNER –> 25 sermons on witchcraft and magic.
- believed witches and Protestants undermine the entire social and political order by failing to respect the practices of the Catholic Church.
- blamed Protestantism for the Thirty Years War.
ROLE OF THE EMPEROR
(Ending factors)
FERDINAND II:
- too far away to have any real impact
- HRE is so fragmented
DOROTHEA FLOCK CASE
(Ending factors)
DOROTHEA FLOCK CASE:
- increased awareness of corrupt authorities
- Ferdinand II not doing much –> ignored letters
- complaints reached highest judicial court in the HRE –> Imperial Chamber Court.
- Emperor could get involved - 1st case to involve high authority figures, encouraged more complaints
- new direction of witch commission appointed, confiscation of property was forbidden.
THE SWEDISH ARMY
(Ending factors)
SWEDISH ARMY:
- pillaged to Bamberg, as they needed resources and food
- forced von Dornheim to run away to Austria
- neither Ferdinand II or the ICC could do this.
- despite the Emperor’s direct involvement, as long as von Dornheim was prince-bishop, the persecutions would continue
GEORG WILHELM DUMLER
(Ending factors)
GEORG WILHELM DUMLER:
- final piece to convince the emperor that trials need to be stopped.
- in letter –> never enough evidence to prove suspects guilty.
- several hundred people tortured and leaders of witch commission were easily led by false accusations.
- his pregnant wife was tortured and miscarried before being executed. He was now accused –> both were innocent and raised as pious Catholics
- denied a lawyer at trials - against Carolina Law Code
- should be heard in civil courts, not behind closed doors
- led to Ferdinand II announcing he was to punish those responsible for the trials. –> appointed a new director of the witch-commission and decreed all trials be conducted according to the Carolina Law Code. Property confiscations = forbidden.
HOWEVER, these punishments and changes may not have necessarily brought an end to the witch craze, only slowed it down and reduced the panic caused by von Dornheim –> witch trials still existed.
