Witch Craze in Europe
Witch craze in Europe during: the period of the Protestant Reformation, Catholic Counter-Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, and the consolidation of national governments from about 1480-1700
For more than two hundred years, individuals were persecuted as witches throughout the continent of Europe, even though the witch hunt was concentrated on Southwestern Germany, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Poland, and parts of France. In a collective frenzy. witches were sought, identified, arrested, mostly tortured, and tried for a variety of reasons. The total number of witches tried exceeded 100,000 people. This essay is supposed to identify three major reasons for the witch craze in sixteenth and seventeenth century Europe.
During the Reformation and the Revolution, many people were being accused of being witches in parts of Europe. Thousands and thousands were persecuted because they were accused of being a witch. People all over Europe believed in the evil spirits and that they were everywhere. It was believed that evil spirits would try to find new followers of the Devil. Witches would kill infants, eat kids alive, and cast spells on people. Everyone one and anyone was could be accused for being a witch, no matter how powerful they were. The ‘witches’ were either hung, drowned, or burned. The executioners, notaries, copyists, and innkeepers would become very rich because of this. If someone did something you did not like, you could always accuse them of being witches and people would believe you. Even though the people accused were innocent, they started to believe that they were truly witches and that they really had sold their soul to the Devil.
In the eyes of the Catholic Church, Christianity was the only true faith. They believed everything evil was the work of the Anti-Christ. In Spain, there was an option of converting into a Roman Catholic or being burned alive on a stake. Two notorious Dominican monks, the Hammer of Witches, assisted to find the
For more than two hundred years, individuals were persecuted as witches throughout the continent of Europe, even though the witch hunt was concentrated on Southwestern Germany, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Poland, and parts of France. In a collective frenzy. witches were sought, identified, arrested, mostly tortured, and tried for a variety of reasons. The total number of witches tried exceeded 100,000 people. This essay is supposed to identify three major reasons for the witch craze in sixteenth and seventeenth century Europe.
During the Reformation and the Revolution, many people were being accused of being witches in parts of Europe. Thousands and thousands were persecuted because they were accused of being a witch. People all over Europe believed in the evil spirits and that they were everywhere. It was believed that evil spirits would try to find new followers of the Devil. Witches would kill infants, eat kids alive, and cast spells on people. Everyone one and anyone was could be accused for being a witch, no matter how powerful they were. The ‘witches’ were either hung, drowned, or burned. The executioners, notaries, copyists, and innkeepers would become very rich because of this. If someone did something you did not like, you could always accuse them of being witches and people would believe you. Even though the people accused were innocent, they started to believe that they were truly witches and that they really had sold their soul to the Devil.
In the eyes of the Catholic Church, Christianity was the only true faith. They believed everything evil was the work of the Anti-Christ. In Spain, there was an option of converting into a Roman Catholic or being burned alive on a stake. Two notorious Dominican monks, the Hammer of Witches, assisted to find the