Witchcraft and Popular culture Flashcards
what were the Major dates of witch hunts
Bamberg 1626-31
Wurzburg 1625-31
trier 1581-93
cologne 1626-34
east anglian witch hunt 1645-47
salem 1692-may1693
who were the major individuals in the HRE witch hunts?
Peter Binsfled Trier
Bamberg Prince-Bishop Von Dornhiem
Wurzburg Von Ehrenberg
cologne prince elector Ferndinand
What were the causes of the witch hunts in Bamberg?
due to the prince bishop wanting to catholocise his region
1620s had bad harvests
famine
plague
war
explanations needed
what was the death toll of the german witch hunts?
Bamberg 600 under von Dornheim 300 under predecessor
cologne 2000
Wurzburg 900
trier >1000
What was Dornheim’s torture house called
Drudenhaus
what were the events at Bamberg
victims of witch trials being tortured to name accomplices had culmulative effect. more tortured more accused.
victims assets confiscated and family had to pay for fees
empereor Ferdinand II did attempt to restrain Dornheim but was ignored
as a result a person who was against witch trials but in charge of witch comission
it ended partly due to the death of Bishop Forner(his cousin and bishop of Wurzburg) in dec 1630, the opposition by Ferdinand II and threats from swedish invasions and occupation by Gustavus in feb 1632.
as a result Dornheim in exile and died in 1633. two of the most passionate advocates for witch hunting gone
what was the cause of the Wurzburg witch trials?
took place during 30 years war so likely to be caused by religious tensions
what were the events of the Wurzburg witch trials?
victims from all walks of life even nephew of princebishop
only stopped once Ehrenberg died. it was condemmed by Cautio Criminalis or book on witch trials
what caused cologne?
crop failures caused an increase in persecutions
who were the important individuals in Salem,East Anglia,Pendle and Scotland witch trials.
East Anglia- John Stearne and Matthew Hopkins
Pendle- Alizon Device originally accussed
who was matthew hopkins?
a former lawyer who wanted to make financial gain from the uncertainty of the english civil war
what was the cause of the East Anglian witch trial
people had lots of financial worries
were highly taxed
in fear of the civil war
harvests failed lack of skilled workers
what does Malcolm Gaskill say about the reasons for the trial?
“The sense that victory on the battlefield depended on godliness at home made hunting witches feel like part of the war effort” (Gaskill, 2005)
what was the impact of the civil war?
religious divisions high
strict calvinist and puritans urged further reformation before
inflation high
some puritans believed that Charles I was an agent of the devil along side witches
witches needed to be rooted out and destroyed.
