Bamberg- Lesson Notes Flashcards
When did the Baberg trials take place?
1623-1632
How many people where executed?
600-900 people
What % of those killed were women?
72%
What was the average age of accused witches?
33 1/2
What was the structure of the Holy Roman Empire?
Segmented Political Structure
-No central authority, the power of the emperor was declining over time
What kind of state was Bamberg?
Spiritual state- Catholic
Formed by the church the leader reporting the the pope
Was there a history of persecution?
General History of Persecution
Heretics and jews
People are used to persecution and large killings for revolting and being part of certain groups
Were witch hunts common?
How many were estimated to have died in total?
50,00 trials manly in catholic states
Witch hunt hysteria
Estimated that 30,000 people died in total
24,000 were women
What did the protestant reformation lead to?
Protestant Reformation
Began in Wittenberg 1517 with Martin Luther’s 95 Theses
Lead to lots of tension between catholic and protestants
Spreads very quickly
When did the Catholic Counter Reformation start?
What did the church try and do?
Began in 1540 with the council of Trent
flood europe with catholic ideas
What happened in 1555?
Peace of alsburg allows both to be officially recognized but down to state leaders to say what their main religion is.
Where where the hunts predominantly?
Hunts predominantly in Catholic territories
Not Catholic v Protestant, more Catholic v Satan and his followers
What was the impact of the malleus Maleficarum on women?
Women easily tempted by the Devil/ Satan as seen in the Bible
Large Impact on how women are treated in the roman empire.
What were women seen as in the roman holy empire?
Women seen as a group of sexual deviants
- Multiple accounts of women causing injury to men’s sexual organs / sleeping with the Devil
Social perception of women
-Images and woodcuts portrayed them as ‘less than human’ worthy of ill treatment
Treated women as less than human
What was the 30 years war about?
How was Bamberg involved?
Emperor Ferdinand had attempted to force everyone to become Roman Catholic
The Western states (Bamberg) took the side of Ferdinand
Men and young boys were forcibly conscripted for both sides
Bamberg supports the catholic church.
Other countries join in as well such as sweden
Right on the border with the protestant states
What were the impacts of the 30 years war?
context
Severe social and economic impact
anyone who deviated from the Catholic Church was targeted
Food and supplies stolen/plundered
What was the impact of the little ice age on the economic crisis?
Wine crops damaged in 1629 by continuous heavy rain
What was the impact of the 30 years war on the economic crisis?
Increases in debt (80,000 florins) resulted in high taxes
Economic crisis
as a result of a decreasing supply of money
Value of money goes down and inflation rises
The gold context in coins goes down
What did Prince Bishop von Aschhausen do in Bamberg?
Increased the Catholic presence in bamberg significantly
Bought people in to set up catholic schools
What did Prince Bishop von Aschhausen believe in?
Give an example on how he followed theses beliefs
He believed there to be a connection between Protestantism and witchcraft
1610 Ordinance, Punishment for using magic
Found more in prostestant areas
Lead to mini witch hunt
300 suspected witches executed
81.1% of those executed were women
What was Prince Bishop von Dornheim know as?
Why was this?
“Hexenbischof” Witch bishop
Believed that tackling witchcraft was of an utmost importance
What was Prince Bishop von Dornheim role in the trials?
He took personal responsibility for the investigations
Supported by Frederick Forner
Uses force and violence
Biggests enforcer
Gets heavenly involved (getting his hands dirty)
What did Prince Bishop von Dornheim believe in?
Believed that there was a connection between disobedience and sin, idolatry and witchcraft
The Devil tempted people to disobey God by worshipping him
What was Frederick Former responsible for?
Responsible for the administration in the area
Does the thinking and planning
Thinks 30yr war should be fought as hard as they can
What book did Frederick Former write?
What was included in it?
Panoplia Armaturae Dei (1626) brought Forner’s ideas on witchcraft together
Calls them rodents
Like witches as they don’t follow catholic church
Like mouse turds
What impact did Frederick Former have?
His influence is greater than it appears
No more hunts after him
When did the trial change from a small isolated trial or a mass one?
Small, isolated trials between 1623-1625
Mass trials from 1626 onwards
Where did the trial start?
Zeils
Who was targeted in the trials?
Give an example
People in higher social groups were extensively targeted
The mayor of Bamberg John (Johannes) Junius
What was Hereditary Guilt?
What did this lead to?
Hereditary Guilt = family members of accused witches also targeted
Whole families are wiped out
17 households from one street
One reason why so wide spread
When was the Carolina Law Code?
1532
What did the Carolina Law Code include?
Witchcraft is a secular crime
A confession was needed to be found guilty
Torture was used to arrive at the truth
What torture methods where used?
A wide range of torture methods were used
They would increase in brutality over the course of the interrogation
Thumb screws
Stocks- with spikes
Room with spikes- stopping person from sitting and sleeping
Cuts on the body and put in bath of lime
What was a Drudenhaus?
When where these created?
Who were they created by?
Witches Prison- Another from of torture
Established by von Dornheim in 1627
Why were Drudenhaus built?
What where they like inside?
Built to contain 30-40 suspects at a time
Spikes on the floor
Bible verses on the walls
What is the story of Dorothea Flock?
6 points
SHe is pregnant and arrested in place of her husband
The husband writes to the Emperor with concerns of how she is being treated
von Dornheim reassures them that everything is fine
The husband writes to the pope
The Pope asks von Dornheim to send the information to him
von Dornheim secretly tries and executes Dorothea Flock
How did the case of Dorothea Flock led to the end of the hunts?
It leads to further complaints and eventually the end of the witch hunt
Trials not allowed in secret
Beheads her then burns her
Goes to pope and his he is evenachaly forced to stop
What was the political and religious context of the Holy Roman Empire?
It was politically fragmented with states being individually ruled
It was religiously tumultuous, with lots of different religions living together
How did the Counter Reformation influence the witch-trials?
It created an atmosphere were Catholics viewed Protestants as the Devil, and vice versa
What happened under von Aschhausen’s rule?
He increased Catholic influence in Bamberg by having Catholic schools built, initial witch trials took place
What impact did the Thirty Years War have on Bamberg?
it led to food shortages, boys and men were forcibly conscripted, religious divisions grew stronger
How were the Bamberg Witch trials different to others in Europe?
There was less elderly, widowed and poor women accused- the average age was 33.5 years old
Why were wealthy members of society targeted?
Their property could be confiscated and then used to pay for debts caused by the Thirty Years War
Which mayor faced extensive torture under the Carolina Law Code?
John Junius
What did von Dornheim build in 1627 and what was their purpose?
Drudenhaus (witch-prison), it was used as a place for torture to be carried out
What was significant about the case of Dorothea Flock?
It led to the eventual ending of the witch trials as the Emperor started to become involved
Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it.
What are the 4 different points you can talk about?
HRE Context
Religious Context
Economic Context
Hereditary Guilt
Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it
What evidence could you use for HRE Context?
Political Structure
One big mass of states that do not have unified, laws (2000) states
Each state had its own leader and each leader was very different.
Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it
What relevant context could you use for HRE context?
There a historic culture of radical and mass persecution of groups in society
1524 upto 30,00 peasants were killed for revolting against the establishment
Medieval times jewish pogroms saw the start of continuous anti-semitism in germany
Witchcrazes were common in the HRW, majority in catholic territories, took place between the start of the c16th -c17th century
Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it
What impacts could you use for HRE context?
It created an environment where witch hysteria
could dramatically increase and become a mass hunt, with no central accountability
- Laws could be broken
- In the case of Dorothea Flock her trial and execution was held in secret, so evidence couldn’t be questioned
- Multiple reports of accused witches being denied a legal representative (evidence in Georg Wilhelm Dumler’s letter)
Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it
What evidence could you use for the Religious context?
The Peace of Augsburg
1555- Peace of alsburb allows both to be officially recognized but down to state leaders to say what their main religion is.
Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it
What relevant context could you use for Religious context?
Reformation
Protestant Reformation
-Began in Wittenberg 1517 with Martin Luther’s 95 Theses
Lead to lots of tension between catholic and protestants
Spreads very quickly
Counter Reformation
Catholic Counter Reformation
- Began in 1540 with the council of Trent
Catholic church form a counter reformation- flood europe with catholic ideas
Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it
What impact could you use for Religious context?
Provoked decades of religious and social tensions between 2 opposing religions
Despite the legal recognition of protestantism, social recognition in some areas was much harder to reach especially in states that were led by a prince Bishop. The underlying Catholic v Protestant tensions remained
Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it
What evidence could you use for the Economic context?
(2 points)
Little Ice Age
Early 17th century experience the “Little ice age” - cold weather which led to crops to fail particularly the fruit/wine club crop
Inflation and Currency Value
Combined with the debt from the war equals crisis. Debt was up 800,000 florins by the end and authorities had to levy higher taxes. Therefore it was the interest of the Prince Bishop to carry out a witch hunt to ensure the frost did not return (money)
Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it
What relevant context could you use for economic context?
Money lost value gild florin decreased in gold content (79%-77%) sliver from the americas also in short supply
It is referred to in accusations-
Kathanina merckhlhlenin confesses to plotting to freeze all of bambergs crops
Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it
What impact could you use for economic context?
- People didn’t understand inflation and currency value, so balamed witchcraft
- Prince Bishops believed that by removing witches the weather might stabilize
- targeting wealthy members of society meant their confiscated property could be used to pay off debts.
This alongside the nature of accusations tells us that the economy was more of an important factor and was actively on people’s minds
Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it
What evidence could you use for Hereditary Guilt?
The process of accusing the family of an executed witch for witchcraft because they are related
-Georg Hann was arrested following the execution
of his wife and daughter
Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it
What Relevant context could you use for Hereditary Guilt?
The Carolina Law Code (1532)
-Made witchcraft illegal under secular law not just religious law (it equated it with other serious crimes like murder and homosexuality)
-Allowed the Court to carry out an investigation and not
just base the sentence on the interests of the parties involved
Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it
What Impact could you use for Hereditary Guilt?
This led to the hunts becoming more widespread as whole families were wiped out during the trials. In one street 17 whole families were killed
“ It was the strain that the Thirty Years War placed on Bamberg that explains the extent of the Great Witch Hunt”
How far do you agree with this statement?
What 3 points could you use for this question?
Individuals
Thirty Years War
Carolina Law Code
“ It was the strain that the Thirty Years War placed on Bamberg that explains the extent of the Great Witch Hunt”
For individuals what evidence could you use?
Prince Bishop von Dornheim:
“Hexenbischof” Witch bishop
- Believed that tackling witchcraft was of an utmost importance
- He took personal responsibility for the investigations
- He built Drudenhaus- witches prisons- they would be tortured
Frederik Forner
- He provided an intellectual framework for the hunts
- made the connection between disobedience and sin
They also believe that the closer one came to defeating the devil than more violent he would become therefore if the devil is violent the use of violence and torture on suspected witches was justified
“ It was the strain that the Thirty Years War placed on Bamberg that explains the extent of the Great Witch Hunt”
For individuals what relevant context could you use?
von Aschhausen
- He was the leader before Prince Bishop von Dornheim
- he had around 300 which is executed
- Forner had worked under him previously
- 1610 ordinance about witchcraft which stated that anyone practising magic would be severely punished
“ It was the strain that the Thirty Years War placed on Bamberg that explains the extent of the Great Witch Hunt”
For individuals what impact could you use?
Frederik Forner is highly significant, not necessarily because he actively got involved with the hunts, but because he provided the legal and religious justification
- He was also in post under von Aschhausen and the first significant hunt of 300 people
- When he died von Dornheim faced significant challenges to the hunts and they eventually stopped, suggests that Forner’s influence was significant as people didn’t argue with his rationale
- His 25 sermons and writings reinforced the connection between Protestantism and magic, and advocated that the Thirty Years War was going to cause witchcraft cases to rise unless they began to challenge the problem
“ It was the strain that the Thirty Years War placed on Bamberg that explains the extent of the Great Witch Hunt”
For Individuals what link could you use?
Does it result in something specific happening or starting?
Do the actions lead to a remarkable change?
Do the actions cause something to happen later on down the line?
Do the actions tell us something about society’s actions and beliefs at the time?
they started off the witch hunt. They also led to it becoming more widespread
-Never happened before
-Lots of people affected
900 people are executed
The executions of 100s of witches
Tat due to the weak central control and religious tension they were able to exploit this and carry a large witch hunt
“ It was the strain that the Thirty Years War placed on Bamberg that explains the extent of the Great Witch Hunt”
For the 30 years war what evidence could you use?
Social Impact
Both made Catholics in Bamberg more extreme
Very fearful that the devil was working with Protestants (Who are now the enemy due to the war)
Fear that the devil would send
in which is to help Protestants in the war they could be anyone
Economic Impact
-Increases in debt (80,000 florins) resulted in high taxes
Economic crisis
-as a result of a decreasing supply of money
Value of money goes down and inflation rises
The gold context in coins goes down
“ It was the strain that the Thirty Years War placed on Bamberg that explains the extent of the Great Witch Hunt”
For the 30 years war what relevant context could you use?
Religious Context
tensions from the counter Reformation meant Protestants were linked to witchcraft
30 years war = Protestants are the enemy
Economic Context
The Little ice age had destroyed
the wine crop
Attitudes to Gender
Women seen as a group of sexual deviants
- Multiple accounts of women causing injury to men’s sexual organs / sleeping with the Devil
Social perception of women
-Images and woodcuts portrayed them as ‘less than human’ worthy of ill treatment
“ It was the strain that the Thirty Years War placed on Bamberg that explains the extent of the Great Witch Hunt”
For the 30 years war what impact could you use?
(a lot on this flash card- cut down if possible)
The Thirty Years War exacerbated the religious, social and economic tensions already present in society
-Food being stolen and plundered added to the problems caused by the Little Ice Age where crops were failing due to extreme weather conditions
-Debt caused inflation making it even more difficult for items to be brought (von Dornheim was forced to increase the taxes in Bamberg)
-Under the Carolina Law Code suspected witches had their property confiscated, many members of higher society, despite being devout Catholics were accused, (John Junis the mayor of Bamberg and Hans Langhans the mayor Zeil were both targeted) and this suggests that von Dornheim was facing economic pressure to fund the involvement in the Thirty Years War
Socially it provided the religious justification for von Dornheim to carry out the hunts
-Commonly believed that women were ‘sexual deviants’ who worshipped the Devil, and as a result were witches (many of the accusations were against women for ‘sexual deviancy’, some women became pregnant from men who then left, and Margaretha Gussbacherin prostituted herself to a man dressed in Black, this was interpreted to be the Devil and therefore a diabolical pact)
-Commonly believed that Satan was getting stronger and the fight against witchcraft was going to be part of that (this is reflected in accusations where members of society who had challenged the Catholic Church or refused to convert were then targeted and executed, the parents of two brothers Johann and Georg Kauwer were executed for this)
“ It was the strain that the Thirty Years War placed on Bamberg that explains the extent of the Great Witch Hunt”
For 30 years war what link could you use?
Does it result in something specific happening or starting?
Do the actions lead to a remarkable change?
Do the actions cause something to happen later on down the line?
Do the actions tell us something about society’s actions and beliefs at the time?
No but it heightens tensions that allowed the hunt to take palace in the first place
Leads to a economic crisis and tensions in
society
Economic crisis religious tensions
Heightened tensions and suspicion of protestants from catholics
“ It was the strain that the Thirty Years War placed on Bamberg that explains the extent of the Great Witch Hunt”
For Carolina Law Code what evidence could you use?
- Made witchcraft illegal under secular law not just religious law (it equated it with other serious crimes like murder and homosexuality)
- Allowed the Court to carry out an investigation and not just base the sentence on the interests of the parties involved
-The Code outlined questions for an investigation into a variety of crimes, including witchcraft
- Outlines that the accused needed to have access to legal representation in the trial to give them the opportunity to challenge the evidence
- Torture was used to arrive at the truth not to force a confession
“ It was the strain that the Thirty Years War placed on Bamberg that explains the extent of the Great Witch Hunt”
For Carolina law code what link could you use?
Malleus Maleficarum:
As well outlining the Biblical justification for witch hunting it also laid out how to carry out an investigation and what to look for.
“ It was the strain that the Thirty Years War placed on Bamberg that explains the extent of the Great Witch Hunt”
For Carolina law code what relevant context could you use?
The code sets the framework for the hunt but once it has begun, the hunt breaks a lot of laws laid
down by the Holy Roman Empire
-It is responsible for allowing the hunt to begin (a few isolated trials in Zeil between 1623-1625) but not for explaining why it grew to the extent it did (1626 onwards they grew and spread to Bamberg)
-Malleus Maleficarum was a significant book at the time and this would have established the idea of witch hunt in public consciousness, arguably this
was more impactful in introducing the idea to people like Forner and von Dornheim due to its religious standing (1500-1560 was the initial spike in witch trials in Europe, and the Holy Roman
Empire)
“ It was the strain that the Thirty Years War placed on Bamberg that explains the extent of the Great Witch Hunt”
For 30 years war what link could you use?
Does it result in something specific happening or starting?
Do the actions lead to a remarkable change?
Do the actions cause something to happen later on down the line?
Do the actions tell us something about society’s actions and beliefs at the time?
Witch trials are already happening, but on a small scale not like is seen in Bamberg
- it is the fragmented political structure of the HRE that allows von Dornheim to get away with the extent of his hunt for so long
No, not directly, the framework may make it easier and more likely that a hunt could take place but there’s no suggestion that this is what happened in Bamberg due to the 90 year gap between the two events
The hunt starts a lot later, but
It reveals that there was some legal and social approval for witch trials, but not necessarily witch hunting to the extent seen in Bamberg
- it also reveals the failings of the HRE political structure and accountability as von Dornheim was able to exploit the lack of central control
Increased scepticism Evidence
What happened as early as 1627?
Complaints about innocent people executed for witchcraft began to be made at both religious and imperial courts
What did von Dornheim in response allegations of false accusations?
He issued a proclamation stating that those who gave false testimony at witch trials should be flogged, a whipping post was set up.
What was von Dornheim motivation?Why was this need?
He was protecting his inner circle . A series of accusations of witchcraft had been made against Frederick Forner and others in this administration
Increased scepticism Specific impact
What impact would this have had on social attitudes towards witch hunting?
Social attitudes towards witch hunting change mean there is no longer the support for it
When trials were carried out against guidelines, what would people have done? Which case is the best example of this?
The Case of Dorothea Flock is an example. People called for the trials to be stopped showing that they believed a fair trial was more important than killing expected witches straight away
Briefly summarise the story of Dorothea Flock’s case
Greg Henrich Flock was accused. He fled but his pregnant wife was arrested
Flock and family appealed to Ferdinand and the pope - they both appealed to Von Dornheim to stop. They asked that all documents be sent to the imperial Holfrat for review and threatened the Prince-Bishop with punishment .Dornheim rushed the trial through and Dorothea was executed before they could arrive on 17th May - she was beheaded and burned in secret at 6am. Flocks family protested even more, highlighting how the hunt was breaking the Carolina Law Code = rial was in secret with no lawyer, witnesses were not checked, confessions through torture should not have been used with no other evidence.
Dorothea Flock Impact
Describe the role of Emperor Ferdinand, and the Pope in the case.
Both Ferdinand and the Pope requested that Von Dornheim stop the trial, and wrote a letter that all documents related to the trial should be sent to imperial Hofrat for review, and if the did not he would be punished
Dorothea Flock
Explain how this could have led to the end of the trials.
Influence and orders from authorities force it to stop
What began reaching the Imperial Chamber Court, and how did von Dornheim respond?
Complaints started reaching them. 2 people who had escaped from prison had sent complaints directly to the emperor. He sent 2 of his witch-commissioners in order to present a defence of the witch trials.
What was the reaction of officials at the Diet of Regensburg?
High-profile members were sceptical about which hunts and felt that Ferdinand’s position would be jeopardised if he tolerated the Persecutions
What actions did Emperor Ferdinand take against von Dornheim, and how did he respond to them?
Ferdinand wrote to von dornheim in an even more forceful tone than his previous. Ferdinand sent a strongly worded letter to the Prince Bishop criticising him and his commissioners for the over zealous use of torture and the blatant disregard of Imperia decrees. Further trial documents were demanded when it was discovered they were in fact copies he demanded that
the original documents be sent.
Imperial Chamber Court impact
Explain how this could have led to the end of the trials.
Influence and orders from authorities force it to stop
What did Dumler state in his letter about the trials and hunts in Bamberg?
Hundreds of people have been tortured and they were falsely accused
Never sufficient proof
His pregnant wife had been accused tortured and executed he then was accused both innocent Catholics
Carolina law code permitted a lawyer- this had been denied in Bamberg
Cases should be held in civil courts but they were held by commissioners in Secret
What did Emperor Ferdinand do in response to the letter on 12th June 1631?
Ferdinand announced he was to punish those responsible
Appointed a new director of the witch commission Dr Anton winter
Further trials conducted according to the Carolina little code
Confiscation of property banned ( highlights importance of this factor)
What was the response of von Dornheim to the letter?
He refused to release those still held in custody and it was only the advance of the Swedish army that encouraged him to flee and end the persecution
Briefly describe the involvement of the Swedish Army in the Thirty Years War, and in Bamberg.
Very successful in the 30 years war the army swelled to 150,000 by 1632
Swedish army invaded and took over administration of Bamberg von Dornheim was forced to flee. He looted cathedrals and fled to Austria where he died of a stroke in 1633.
What happened when the Swedish Army arrived on the Bamberg border? How did this change the social and religious context of Bamberg?
Despite being occupied by protestants Catholics in Bamberg Catholics were able to to continue with their ordinary way of life
Explain how that, alongside the economic impact on Bamberg, led to the end of the hunts.
The lead instigator is no longer present to carry out the hunting
What are the social impacts of the 30 years war?
Reinforces the idea of women being ‘sexually deviant’
men got women pregnant, then left them (seen to be the woman’s fault for seducing the man)
Increased tensions between Catholics and Protestants
What evidence to we have for the social impacts of the 30 years war?
→ The CLC allowed for property confiscations
→ 72% of the accused were women
→ The average age was 33.5 years old
→ A number of high profile individuals were targeted
→ Hereditary guilt was used to target families
What are the economic impacts of the 30 years war?
Exacerbated the economic problems facing Bamberg already
Little Ice Age affected crop production (1629, bad weather wiped out the wine crop)
Debt increases to 800,000 Florins
The social and economic factors tells us that the impact of the Thirty Years War on causing the hunts was significant because…
→ the correlation between the high number of wealthy victims and the fact that the economy was suffering implies that a decision was actively made to target that group to pay for the problem of the Thirty Years War.
→ The side effects of the Thirty Years War (social and religious) provided the “moral” justification for the hunts, it was perhaps assumed that if this formed the reasoning they wouldn’t be challenged.
The social and economic factors tell us that about the 30 years war..
This is aided by the structure of the Empire, as it then means that unless von Dornheim begins to break any Empire wide laws (CLC) he wouldn’t be held accountable
