Causes of the decline of persecution Flashcards
When was the last persecution in the HRE?
1775
After what decade did persecutions decline in most regions?
1630’s
What reasons contributed to the decline in persecution?
- Legal changes
- Religious changed
- Intellectual changes
- Socio-economic developments
Why did torture come under attack?
Evidence viewed unreliable
What was action taken on?
Local judges and inferior courts to limit their power
What rules now applied in courts?
- Circumstantial evidence not accepted
- Suspects couldn’t be tried if they’d been denounced
Who were judges less willing to accept evidence from?
Children, servants and accomplices
What was there a growing belief in?
Supremacy of God and only he would allow witchcraft to happen
What happened as religious wars declined?
Toleration of others increased
What idea had developed in the late 17th century?
Science
What was the effect of the Scientific Revolution?
-Undermined idea of demons and magic
- increased understanding of medicine
What was the Enlightenment?
Upheld rationalism and human progress
What was the effect of Enlightenment?
Spread these ideas to a wider population
What socio-economic developments after 1650 supported the decline in persecutions?
- Inflation ended
- Wages rose
- Impact of war decreased
- Plague/other epidemics declined
How were the elites effective in causing the decline in persecutions?
Their new ideas were accepted by society and imposed on it
