Witches Flashcards
what kind of person was accused of being a witch? 5 reasons
live alone, female, old, widow, poor
name 7 causes of the witch hunts
puritans and the devil, Puritan religion, closing of monasteries, puritans and women, poor harvests, poor women, puritan beliefs
why was the closing of monasteries a cause of the witch hunts?
it caused unemployment so the wealthy people became frightened of the big group of poor people and started to look for someone to blame
when did the monasteries close down?
1530
why were poor women a cause of the witch hunts?
women were the lowest wage earners so they would become bitter, resentful, curse people and become ill
why were poor harvests a cause of the witch hunts?
if the harvest had been bad due to the weather there was less food to go round. this made food even more expensive so people were hungry and desperate so they looked for someone to blame
why were Puritan beliefs about women a cause of the witch hunts?
women were considered to have evil In them because of Adam and Eve in the bible.
what were some Puritan beliefs about the devil?
those who followed Satan were considered to be witches. puritans also believed the devil was as real as God. the devil was considered to be cunning, persuasive and would tempt people
what range of methods were used by witch finders to identify a witch?
pricking a birth mark or mole, torturing by fire, the ducking stool, identifying marks, weighing her against a book or bible, reciting the Lord’s Prayer with no mistakes
when did Matthew Hopkins’ reign of terror begin?
1644
who commissioned Hopkins’ reign of terror to look for witches?
Parliament?
why were most accusations made against women?
women were seen to have a terrible temper. women were weak and people thought they were more easily persuaded by the devil, they thought that it was not possible for them to control themselves. they thought that women were obstinate and lustful
who ran the witchcraft trials and were in power?
men
which 3 key words do you use to identify a source?
nature, origin, purpose
what does nature, origin, purpose mean?
nature- what type of source is it?
origin- who produced it?
purpose- why was it produced?
