Sweden Flashcards
when did the hunt begin
1688
where did the hunt begin and where did it go to
started in northern Swedish province of Dalecarlia and eventually spreading throughout the country and even spilled over into Swedish speaking parts of Finland
why was the hunt unusual
large numbers of both the accusers and the accused were children
what was the authorities response to a hysteria
The first wave of trials took place in the vicinity of mora encourages parents and magistrates in many small villages to demand prosecutions of witches. The king’s response was to set up royal commissioners.
when did the initial cases begin and what was the context of them
Initially in the 1580s most cases were for simple maleficia
how did diabolic ideas come to Sweden
Soldiers returning from Germany during the Thirty Years Way may have introduced more extreme diabolical ideas during 1640s
what was the Swedish version of the sabbat
Local legend of visiting a mythical place called the Blakulla where they feasted, married devils and danced.
what did the law in 1593
A law of 1593 required either a testimony of 6 witnesses or a confession for a capital conviction
what torture forbidden or not and how strict was this enforced
Torture was forbidden by commissioners but in the hysteria, they didn’t always follow this policy
how many people did the royal commissions sentence to death and when
Royal commissioners pronounced more than a hundred death sentences in 1675.
how did Swedish witch hunts decline
Two new commissions appointed in 1676 acted more cautiously and exercised a moderating influence on panic.
When the children confessed that their charges were groundless the court reviewed the evidence and set most the recently condemned free.
what is evidence of centralised control in Sweden
1614 all death sentences were required to be appealed to the royal court in Stockholm = highly centralised control
what did Charles appoint to deal with witch cases
Charles appointed a number of royal commissions to investigate the matter in the localities and to try the accused witches
how did the court of appeal decrease case numbers
The court of Appeal began interrogating witnesses directly.
