Witch Trials In 16th Century England
The knowledge of the English witch trials comes from the original procedural documents preserved in historical archives and the collection of dozens of accounts of witch trials in the form of prints that circulated in hundreds of copies among the interested readers from the end of the 16th century to the beginning of the eighteenth century.
At the end of the 16th and early 17th century, people of high and low status believed in the ubiquity of witches. They were believed to be everywhere, a threat to life and the maintenance of God's order. It is a common misconception that witch trials belong to the Middle Ages. In the United Kingdom, there were no sorcery trials until 1542 when Henry VIII took action against witchcrafts and witches.
At the end of the 16th century, witches in Europe were feverishly hunting. Thousands of women were tortured and burned at the stake. The church fully approved of this scary crusade. In England, the hunt for witches was initiated by King James I. In 1597, in Scotland, he published a textbook "Daemonology", in which he described the way to recognize and destroy witches. This publication quickly triggered a wave of hunting across the UK. The information in this book has led to a series of …show more content…
Adoption of guilt was a major proof. In some countries, the law permited the use of evidence during torture investigations, for example in Scotland, while in England and its colonies - torture was prohibited at the same time.) The accusation was enough to indicate (the "nomination", Latin nominatio) of the suspects already convicted by the person convicted. (Russell 2003: 144-148). The particularly important evidence was the one made by children who were found to be innocent and therefore the best witnesses even when they confessed they are witches themselves (Putek 1985:
At the end of the 16th and early 17th century, people of high and low status believed in the ubiquity of witches. They were believed to be everywhere, a threat to life and the maintenance of God's order. It is a common misconception that witch trials belong to the Middle Ages. In the United Kingdom, there were no sorcery trials until 1542 when Henry VIII took action against witchcrafts and witches.
At the end of the 16th century, witches in Europe were feverishly hunting. Thousands of women were tortured and burned at the stake. The church fully approved of this scary crusade. In England, the hunt for witches was initiated by King James I. In 1597, in Scotland, he published a textbook "Daemonology", in which he described the way to recognize and destroy witches. This publication quickly triggered a wave of hunting across the UK. The information in this book has led to a series of …show more content…
Adoption of guilt was a major proof. In some countries, the law permited the use of evidence during torture investigations, for example in Scotland, while in England and its colonies - torture was prohibited at the same time.) The accusation was enough to indicate (the "nomination", Latin nominatio) of the suspects already convicted by the person convicted. (Russell 2003: 144-148). The particularly important evidence was the one made by children who were found to be innocent and therefore the best witnesses even when they confessed they are witches themselves (Putek 1985: