Bamberg Flashcards
How many were executed in Bamberg over the 9 years of trials?
900
Which empire was Germany a part of?
The Holy Roman Empire
How did the legal system operate in towns and villages?
Towns and villages were given freedom to make their own judgements, with jurors selected from locality. cases could be referred to the governor of a particular territory, and sometimes appeals to higher courts were possible
Which principle did Charles V establish in 1548
After Catholic Charles V gained victory over a Protestant confederacy in 1548, a new principle was established - that the religion of a ruler should be the religion of their region
How did the religion of a ruler/prince-bishop, and thus their town/area, affect the population?
Charles V’s policy that the religion of a ruler should be the religion of a region meant that a Protestant majority could be ruled by a minority Catholic clique and vice-versa. This meant that the balance of society could easily be disturbed.
Which law code was established under Charles V in 1532 and what did it state?
Due to Germany’s limited legal framework, the Carolina Law Code was established, specifying that justice should remain a local matter.
When was Bamberg founded and why?
In the 11th century, to aid the spread of Christianity.
What became of bishops from 1242 in Bamberg?
Bishops became prince-bishops and Bamberg became a centre for the Roman Catholic Church.
Which religious movement gained traction in the early 16th century?
The Counter-Reformation
Which order spread a fiercely anti-Protestant message, aiding the Counter-Reformation movement?
The Jesuit Order
How did Protestants view the Pope in the light of the Counter-Reformation?
Protestants viewed the Pope as the antichrist
How did Catholic emperors aid the Jesuit case?
Traditional forms of Catholic Devotion were encouraged - shrines dedicated to saints were established, and the Catholic faith became an essential component of the prince-bishopric, and the elites who governed these states supported the Habsburgs and enabled them to cement control.
What was painted on the ceiling in the parish of St Michael in the town of Zeil?
The painting portrays the Catholic Church victorious over Protestant heretics
Give an example of resistance to the Counter-Reformation
In the Lutheran commune of Marktzeuln, the parishioners of the local church refused to renounce their faith. When Catholic authorities attempted to intervene, they were threatened and chased away.
Which measures did von Aschhausen take to prioritise the conversion of Protestant parishes to Catholicism upon his appointment as prince-bishop in 1609?
Fines were imposed on parishes that remained Protestant
Supplies of wood to Protestant parishes restricted
Catholic troops quartered in Protestant villages
Dissidents were sent into exile
Protestants could face imprisonment in Bamberg tower
Which measures did Von Aschhausen take to encourage Catholicism in Bamberg?
He invited the Jesuits to settle in Bamberg and founded Catholic Schools. Additionally, he sent uncooperative priests to their own prison, known as the “priests vault”.
How many witches did Von Aschhausen have executed?
300
Who was Von Aschhausen’s predecessor and in which year did he first initiate the trials? Give an example of an individual trialled under his leadership.
Von Aschhausen’s predecessor was Neytard von Thungen, who initiated the trials in 1595, charging Margarethe Pemmerin with witchcraft. She admitted to worshipping the Devil and was sentenced to be burnt at the stake. However, von Thungen decided she could be executed by sword in a last minute decision, a punishment viewed as less brutal
In 1610, what did von Aschhausen’s new ordinance concerning witchcraft state?
That any person found practising magic would be severely punished. This ordinance coincided with Protestant rebellion in Bohemia. He also stated that contrary to the laws of the Catholic Church and Empire, sorcerers and fortune tellers were at work in Bamberg.
What did 1611 visitations reveal under von Aschhausen’s rule?
That despire Aschhausen’s new ordinance, which threatened to punish those practising magic, blasphemous practices were still found. Fortune telling and spell casting were discovered, and pre-Christian activities were reported at an old pagan shrine.
How did Catholic authorities view Protestant preachers in towns?
It enhanced the connection between Protestantism and witchcraft in the eyes of the Catholic authorities.
How was Lena Pantzerin’s trial significant?
When one women, Lena Pantzerin, was accused in 1612, nobody seemed to know how to examine a witch, so an outsider named Trill was called in. As with so many other hunts across Europe, the accusation against Pantzerin led to many more being accused and executed.
What was the significance of the years 1616-19?
The years 1616-19 saw an intensity of witch-hunting not seen before, although trials were brought to an end in 1619 by a group of moderates on the local council. They claimed that with war breaking out in neighbouring Bohemia, the authorities could not afford the luxury of chasing phantoms.
Who was elected as prince-bishop in 1623?
Von Dornheim was elected as prince-bishop in 1623, and any opposition to witch hunting was effectively removed and the hunts were able to begin again.
Broadly speaking, what were the origins/wider causes of the Thirty Years War?
The origins of the war lay in both the religious divisions in Northern Europe and the ambitions of the Habsburg monarchy.
During which years did the Thirty Years War take place?
1618-48
How did the Habsburgs cause resentment amongst Protestants?
The Habsburg Emperors were historically concerned with enhancing their territory, usually through marriage. This would often cause resentment, as was the case in both Moravia and Bohemia, where Protestants became bitter as a result of Counter-Reformation policies.
How many Swedes, and how many Danes fought in the war? Which other countries were involved in fighting?
150,000 swedes and 100,000 danes fighting for Protestant cause, as well as Dutch, Scottish & English involvement.
What did France’s decision to join the anti-Habsburg alliance mean for the war?
From 1636, France joined the anti-Habsburg alliance and the war became less a war of religion and more a continuation of the existing rivalry between the French and the Habsburgs in Spain and Germany.
How did war cause famine?
Famine was caused by soldiers requisitioning foods supplies, which were already low due to a mini ice-age and disastrous crop failure. Towns were exploited for their supplies, and men were forcefully conscripted to fight, meaning a lower working force. Combined, this led to a fear of witches as misfortune was ever-present.
How did the context of war affect Catholic belief?
Catholics in Bamberg who had fought for the Counter-Reformation became more fanatical than ever. People who deviated from orthodox Catholic practices were labelled as heretics and suspicion was laid upon the Devil.
Give examples of the sort of people typically targeted by Catholics in the context of war.
- Women whose sexual behaviour deviated from that expected from the Catholic Church - this fear originated from the Protestant belief that priests should not necessarily live lives of celibacy.
- People whose political views or attitude to war deviated from those of Catholic authorities
- People who had existing reputation for healing/fortune telling/sorcery - easy scapegoats
- Members of the upper class. Under Prince-Bishop Dornheim (1623-32) a law that allowed for the confiscation of witches’ property was exploited, resulting in the upper classes being disproportionately targeted.
What was significant about the trial of Katharina Merckhlerin in November 1626?
Her confession contained the admission that she had been part of a plot to freeze and destroy all of Bamberg’s crops. This exemplifies the blaming of environmental factors on witchcraft and the Devil.
Describe the significance of environmental factors at Bamberg
An early 17th century mini ice age, with 1628 being the “year with no summer”, and 1629 being the peak of cold and wet weather of Bamberg heightened accusation. Resultant crop failure created feuds over resources and people saw the Devil responsible.
What was the debt for the Thirty Years War?
800,000 florins
What was the result of declining silver import from America?
Copper was utilized instead, and coins reduced in real value, causing inflation. Gold content of the florin (reserve currency) had reduced by 79% as well, contributing further to inflation.
What percentage of those brought to trial between 1623-1631 were women?
72.7%
In which town was the epicentre of the mass hysteria from 1626?
Zeil - 59 were charged.
During which year did hysteria spread to Bamberg itself?
1628
How many were brought to trial between 1623 and 1631 in Bamberg? And how many escaped or were released?
642 brought to trial, with 45 being released or escaping.
What was the average age of women brought to trial?
33.5 - surprisingly young and of “marriageable” age.
What is the name of the mayor of Bamberg, targeted in the trials?
John Junius
What did Hans Langhans, mayor of Zeil, confess to subsequent to torture?
That he had been baptized by the Devil in 1611, and that he was responsible for the frost that destroyed the wine crop in 1615-16.
What proportion of those accused in Zeil were either local officials or their relatives?
1/2
Why were high status individuals targeted?
Because of property confiscation laws and financial gains, as well as a belief that public officials who failed to persecute witches were consequently guilty themselves.
Describe the use of hereditary guilt
A father was often accused and executed along with his children and wife - or vice versa. Georg Hann, who questioned the trials by petitioning the imperial high court to intervene in the cases, was executed following the execution of his wife and daughter, helping the authorities convince others of this guilt.
What did the Carolina Law Code of 1532 allow?
It allowed for an extensive range of torture devices to be used on suspects and with the judicial freedom that the prince-bishop enjoyed. Numerous confessions were extracted this way.
Give examples of torture methods used on witches
Thumbscrews
Strappado (suspended in air by wrists)
Burning of womens hair
whipping
kneel on wood covered in spikes
food containing salt and pepper and water deprivation
small room with spikes on floor to prevent sleeping
How was John Junius implicated in the trials?
His wife had been executed, implicating him by association. He was also implicated by Georg Hann and his family.
What does Junius state in a letter to his daughter shortly before his execution?
That it was only the torture that compelled him to confess, and that he was innocent.
Hans Sebald (1990) identifies which typical elements of confession? Give some examples.
- Recounting involvement with the Devil
- Oath of loyalty to mock baptism in the presence of demons
- A baptism with the devil reported with a gift - often a piece of gold that turned into turnip or pottery
- Demons of conspirators were an important part of confession
- A list of evil deeds such as damage to crops
- Sacrilege or blasphemy were the most abhorrent deeds, and accounts of stealing wafer from communion and desecrating it on more than one occasion.
Why did the witch-hunt become a sort of industry?
Victims were responsible for their own court costs, the travel expenses of interrogators and torturers, paying extra costs. The families of victims paid for raw materials such as wood, rope and nails and a fee for the executioner and removal of the body. The self-paying nature of trials led to the development of an industry.
