Bamberg- Lesson Notes Flashcards

Question 1

Q

When did the Baberg trials take place?

Answer

A

1623-1632

Question 2

Q

How many people where executed?

Answer

A

600-900 people

Question 3

Q

What % of those killed were women?

Question 4

Q

What was the average age of accused witches?

Question 5

Q

What was the structure of the Holy Roman Empire?

Answer

A

Segmented Political Structure

-No central authority, the power of the emperor was declining over time

Question 6

Q

What kind of state was Bamberg?

Answer

A

Spiritual state- Catholic

Formed by the church the leader reporting the the pope

Question 7

Q

Was there a history of persecution?

Answer

A

General History of Persecution
Heretics and jews

People are used to persecution and large killings for revolting and being part of certain groups

Question 8

Q

Were witch hunts common?

How many were estimated to have died in total?

Answer

A

50,00 trials manly in catholic states
Witch hunt hysteria

Estimated that 30,000 people died in total
24,000 were women

Question 9

Q

What did the protestant reformation lead to?

Answer

A

Protestant Reformation
Began in Wittenberg 1517 with Martin Luther’s 95 Theses

Lead to lots of tension between catholic and protestants
Spreads very quickly

Question 10

Q

When did the Catholic Counter Reformation start?

What did the church try and do?

Answer

A

Began in 1540 with the council of Trent

flood europe with catholic ideas

Question 11

Q

What happened in 1555?

Answer

A

Peace of alsburg allows both to be officially recognized but down to state leaders to say what their main religion is.

Question 12

Q

Where where the hunts predominantly?

Answer

A

Hunts predominantly in Catholic territories

Not Catholic v Protestant, more Catholic v Satan and his followers

Question 13

Q

What was the impact of the malleus Maleficarum on women?

Answer

A

Women easily tempted by the Devil/ Satan as seen in the Bible

Large Impact on how women are treated in the roman empire.

Question 14

Q

What were women seen as in the roman holy empire?

Answer

A

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

Question 15

Q

What was the 30 years war about?

How was Bamberg involved?

Answer

A

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

Question 16

Q

What were the impacts of the 30 years war?

context

Answer

A

Severe social and economic impact
anyone who deviated from the Catholic Church was targeted
Food and supplies stolen/plundered

Question 17

Q

What was the impact of the little ice age on the economic crisis?

Answer

A

Wine crops damaged in 1629 by continuous heavy rain

Question 18

Q

What was the impact of the 30 years war on the economic crisis?

Answer

A

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

Question 19

Q

What did Prince Bishop von Aschhausen do in Bamberg?

Answer

A

Increased the Catholic presence in bamberg significantly

Bought people in to set up catholic schools

Question 20

Q

What did Prince Bishop von Aschhausen believe in?

Give an example on how he followed theses beliefs

Answer

A

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

Question 21

Q

What was Prince Bishop von Dornheim know as?

Why was this?

Answer

A

“Hexenbischof” Witch bishop

Believed that tackling witchcraft was of an utmost importance

Question 22

Q

What was Prince Bishop von Dornheim role in the trials?

Answer

A

He took personal responsibility for the investigations
Supported by Frederick Forner

Uses force and violence
Biggests enforcer
Gets heavenly involved (getting his hands dirty)

Question 23

Q

What did Prince Bishop von Dornheim believe in?

Answer

A

Believed that there was a connection between disobedience and sin, idolatry and witchcraft
The Devil tempted people to disobey God by worshipping him

Question 24

Q

What was Frederick Former responsible for?

Answer

A

Responsible for the administration in the area
Does the thinking and planning
Thinks 30yr war should be fought as hard as they can

Question 25

Q

What book did Frederick Former write?

What was included in it?

Answer

A

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

Question 26

Q

What impact did Frederick Former have?

Answer

A

His influence is greater than it appears

No more hunts after him

Question 27

Q

When did the trial change from a small isolated trial or a mass one?

Answer

A

Small, isolated trials between 1623-1625

Mass trials from 1626 onwards

Question 28

Q

Where did the trial start?

Question 29

Q

Who was targeted in the trials?

Give an example

Answer

A

People in higher social groups were extensively targeted

The mayor of Bamberg John (Johannes) Junius

Question 30

Q

What was Hereditary Guilt?

What did this lead to?

Answer

A

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

Question 31

Q

When was the Carolina Law Code?

Question 32

Q

What did the Carolina Law Code include?

Answer

A

Witchcraft is a secular crime
A confession was needed to be found guilty
Torture was used to arrive at the truth

Question 33

Q

What torture methods where used?

Answer

A

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

Question 34

Q

What was a Drudenhaus?

When where these created?

Who were they created by?

Answer

A

Witches Prison- Another from of torture

Established by von Dornheim in 1627

Question 35

Q

Why were Drudenhaus built?

What where they like inside?

Answer

A

Built to contain 30-40 suspects at a time

Spikes on the floor
Bible verses on the walls

Question 36

Q

What is the story of Dorothea Flock?

6 points

Answer

A

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

Question 37

Q

How did the case of Dorothea Flock led to the end of the hunts?

Answer

A

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

Question 38

Q

What was the political and religious context of the Holy Roman Empire?

Answer

A

It was politically fragmented with states being individually ruled
It was religiously tumultuous, with lots of different religions living together

Question 39

Q

How did the Counter Reformation influence the witch-trials?

Answer

A

It created an atmosphere were Catholics viewed Protestants as the Devil, and vice versa

Question 40

Q

What happened under von Aschhausen’s rule?

Answer

A

He increased Catholic influence in Bamberg by having Catholic schools built, initial witch trials took place

Question 41

Q

What impact did the Thirty Years War have on Bamberg?

Answer

A

it led to food shortages, boys and men were forcibly conscripted, religious divisions grew stronger

Question 42

Q

How were the Bamberg Witch trials different to others in Europe?

Answer

A

There was less elderly, widowed and poor women accused- the average age was 33.5 years old

Question 43

Q

Why were wealthy members of society targeted?

Answer

A

Their property could be confiscated and then used to pay for debts caused by the Thirty Years War

Question 44

Q

Which mayor faced extensive torture under the Carolina Law Code?

Answer

A

John Junius

Question 45

Q

What did von Dornheim build in 1627 and what was their purpose?

Answer

A

Drudenhaus (witch-prison), it was used as a place for torture to be carried out

Question 46

Q

What was significant about the case of Dorothea Flock?

Answer

A

It led to the eventual ending of the witch trials as the Emperor started to become involved

Question 47

Q

Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it.

What are the 4 different points you can talk about?

Answer

A

HRE Context
Religious Context
Economic Context
Hereditary Guilt

Question 48

Q

Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it

What evidence could you use for HRE Context?

Answer

A

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.

Question 49

Q

Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it

What relevant context could you use for HRE context?

Answer

A

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

Question 50

Q

Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it

What impacts could you use for HRE context?

Answer

A

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)

Question 51

Q

Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it

What evidence could you use for the Religious context?

Answer

A

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.

Question 52

Q

Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it

What relevant context could you use for Religious context?

Answer

A

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

Question 53

Q

Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it

What impact could you use for Religious context?

Answer

A

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

Question 54

Q

Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it

What evidence could you use for the Economic context?

(2 points)

Answer

A

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)

Question 55

Q

Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it

What relevant context could you use for economic context?

Answer

A

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

Question 56

Q

Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it

What impact could you use for economic context?

Answer

A

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

Question 57

Q

Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it

What evidence could you use for Hereditary Guilt?

Answer

A

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

Question 58

Q

Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it

What Relevant context could you use for Hereditary Guilt?

Answer

A

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

Question 59

Q

Latent Reasons for the hunt starting and the extent of it

What Impact could you use for Hereditary Guilt?

Answer

A

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

Question 60

Q

“ 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?

Answer

A

Individuals
Thirty Years War
Carolina Law Code

Question 61

Q

“ 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?

Answer

A

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

Question 62

Q

“ 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?

Answer

A

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

Question 63

Q

“ 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?

Answer

A

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

Question 64

Q

“ 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?

Answer

A

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

Answer 61

A

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

Answer 62

A

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

Answer 63

A

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)

Answer 64

A

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

Answer 65

A

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

Answer 66

A

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.

Answer 67

A

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)

Answer 68

A

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

Answer 69

A

Complaints about innocent people executed for witchcraft began to be made at both religious and imperial courts

Answer 70

A

He issued a proclamation stating that those who gave false testimony at witch trials should be flogged, a whipping post was set up.

Answer 71

A

He was protecting his inner circle . A series of accusations of witchcraft had been made against Frederick Forner and others in this administration

Answer 72

A

Social attitudes towards witch hunting change mean there is no longer the support for it

Answer 73

A

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

Answer 74

A

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.

Answer 75

A

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

Answer 76

A

Influence and orders from authorities force it to stop

Answer 77

A

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.

Answer 78

A

High-profile members were sceptical about which hunts and felt that Ferdinand’s position would be jeopardised if he tolerated the Persecutions

Answer 79

A

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.

Answer 80

A

Influence and orders from authorities force it to stop

Answer 81

A

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

Answer 82

A

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)

Answer 83

A

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

Answer 84

A

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.

Answer 85

A

Despite being occupied by protestants Catholics in Bamberg Catholics were able to to continue with their ordinary way of life

Answer 86

A

The lead instigator is no longer present to carry out the hunting

Answer 87

A

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

Answer 88

A

→ 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

Answer 89

A

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

Answer 90

A

→ 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.

Answer 91

A

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

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Bamberg- Lesson Notes Flashcards

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