HISTORY- Witchcraze themes
Religion:
Malleus Maleficarum 1486
Pope Innocent II Papal Bull 1484
1517 start of reformation
Council of Trent 1545
Index Librorum Prohibitorium
16th century 5 mill bible copies
Bamberg on border 1,000 executed
1643-44 William Dowsing and men visit over 250 churches and purge of images
‘Thou shall not suffer a witch to live’ Exodus 22:18
Work of God as evidence ended in 1215
Early years of reformation 1520-1560 very few persecutions
As Catholics reconquered Germany in 1630s prosecutions increased
Puritans abolished religious mystery plays by 1600
By 15th century witchcraft accusations focus on the idea of making packs with the
devil
Engravings by artists like Albrecht Dürer and Hans Baldung Grien depicted witches
in sexualized and demonic contexts, influencing public perception
Germany 1555 the ruler of each region decide religious reforms
Economic:
By 1800 23 cities have population of more than 100,000
London 1500 60,000 by 1800 over 1 mill
Thomas and Macfarlane
By 1700 1/3 Europeans were literate
By end of 18th century less than 3% live in towns of over 100,000
Witch hunters fee £23
Price of wheat rose by 20%
Prise of livestock rose by 12%
Ipswich housing accused cost £50 per head
In Ely 94% of accused almost certainly illiterate
Hopkins claim he was paid 20 shillings
1580s series of poor harvests
In East Anglia in Aldeburgh 1/7th of their annual expenses was spent on the hunts
Economic improvements after 1650
‘Charity refusal’ complex
Living standards lower in 1590s
1530-1630 England’s population rose from 2.5 million to 5 million
In 1645 Ipswich levied a special tax to pay for the trials
Law in Bamberg allow confiscation of witches property
Wars:
Thirty Years War 1618-1648
English Civil War 1642-51
English Civil war kill 190,000
Civil War thought to have killed 3.7% of population
Germany Major peasants revolt in 1520s
Civil wars more common between 1550-1650
Religion:
Malleus Maleficarum 1486
Pope Innocent II Papal Bull 1484
1517 start of reformation
Council of Trent 1545
Index Librorum Prohibitorium
16th century 5 mill bible copies
Bamberg on border 1,000 executed
1643-44 William Dowsing and men visit over 250 churches and purge of images
‘Thou shall not suffer a witch to live’ Exodus 22:18
Work of God as evidence ended in 1215
Early years of reformation 1520-1560 very few persecutions
As Catholics reconquered Germany in 1630s prosecutions increased
Puritans abolished religious mystery plays by 1600
By 15th century witchcraft accusations focus on the idea of making packs with the
devil
Engravings by artists like Albrecht Dürer and Hans Baldung Grien depicted witches
in sexualized and demonic contexts, influencing public perception
Germany 1555 the ruler of each region decide religious reforms
Economic:
By 1800 23 cities have population of more than 100,000
London 1500 60,000 by 1800 over 1 mill
Thomas and Macfarlane
By 1700 1/3 Europeans were literate
By end of 18th century less than 3% live in towns of over 100,000
Witch hunters fee £23
Price of wheat rose by 20%
Prise of livestock rose by 12%
Ipswich housing accused cost £50 per head
In Ely 94% of accused almost certainly illiterate
Hopkins claim he was paid 20 shillings
1580s series of poor harvests
In East Anglia in Aldeburgh 1/7th of their annual expenses was spent on the hunts
Economic improvements after 1650
‘Charity refusal’ complex
Living standards lower in 1590s
1530-1630 England’s population rose from 2.5 million to 5 million
In 1645 Ipswich levied a special tax to pay for the trials
Law in Bamberg allow confiscation of witches property
Wars:
Thirty Years War 1618-1648
English Civil War 1642-51
English Civil war kill 190,000
Civil War thought to have killed 3.7% of population
Germany Major peasants revolt in 1520s
Civil wars more common between 1550-1650
