Causes and Decline
Causes:
Social Structure
o Rise of capitalism in the 16th century
o English Crisis of Order 1540-1660
o Bridget Bishop victim of Salem who defied social norms
o Elizabeth Clarke searched by 4 women for the witches mark
o Largely areas with weaker state control such as HRE
Religion
o Witchcraft most intense in areas of religious divisions e.g. Germany
o Areas with few religious divides such as Italy, Spain, Scandinavia experience only small-
scale hunts
o Ban de la Roche border region of France was a protestant area surrounded by Catholic
districts although it was Lutherans accusing other Lutherans
Response from Above
o Fewer cases in England where there was judicial centralisation
o Publishing of elite literature spread witchcraft among learned elite
o Individual Prince-Bishops
Response from Below
o In Trier small communities organised themselves into hunts
o In Ely 94% of accused were illiterate and most of the accusers were also illiterate
Economic
o England’s population doubled 1540-1660
o Living standards lowest in 1590s
o ‘Charity Refusal’ complex
o Increasing capitalism
o The Little Ice Age led to economic hardships
o 1560-1660 socio-economic tension
o Christian Pfister- identified ‘Grindelwald Fluctuation’ between 1570-1630 where climatic
events and hunts peaked
o Hunt in Rhine Basin 1621-31 triggered by hailstorm
o Price of Wheat rose by 20%
o Price of livestock rose by 12%
War
o English Civil war 1642-51
o As Catholics reconquered Germany in 1530s prosecutions increased
o French Wars of Religion 1562-1598
o 8 million deaths from fighting, famine, and plague in Thirty Years War
o Netherlands 80yrs war 1568-1648 decrease in persecutions as all the resources concentrated
on the war effort
Beliefs
o Astrology
o Lack of medical understanding led to the need for scapegoats
o Rationalism initially legitimised witchcraft
Popular culture
o Printing press 1440s
o Women seen as weaker sex
o The Balkans garlic was used to prevent spirits entering the house
o France: villagers whipped the statue of Saint Vincent when the wine harvest failed
o Prognostications Lichtenberger 1488
o Hermetica
Causes:
Social Structure
o Rise of capitalism in the 16th century
o English Crisis of Order 1540-1660
o Bridget Bishop victim of Salem who defied social norms
o Elizabeth Clarke searched by 4 women for the witches mark
o Largely areas with weaker state control such as HRE
Religion
o Witchcraft most intense in areas of religious divisions e.g. Germany
o Areas with few religious divides such as Italy, Spain, Scandinavia experience only small-
scale hunts
o Ban de la Roche border region of France was a protestant area surrounded by Catholic
districts although it was Lutherans accusing other Lutherans
Response from Above
o Fewer cases in England where there was judicial centralisation
o Publishing of elite literature spread witchcraft among learned elite
o Individual Prince-Bishops
Response from Below
o In Trier small communities organised themselves into hunts
o In Ely 94% of accused were illiterate and most of the accusers were also illiterate
Economic
o England’s population doubled 1540-1660
o Living standards lowest in 1590s
o ‘Charity Refusal’ complex
o Increasing capitalism
o The Little Ice Age led to economic hardships
o 1560-1660 socio-economic tension
o Christian Pfister- identified ‘Grindelwald Fluctuation’ between 1570-1630 where climatic
events and hunts peaked
o Hunt in Rhine Basin 1621-31 triggered by hailstorm
o Price of Wheat rose by 20%
o Price of livestock rose by 12%
War
o English Civil war 1642-51
o As Catholics reconquered Germany in 1530s prosecutions increased
o French Wars of Religion 1562-1598
o 8 million deaths from fighting, famine, and plague in Thirty Years War
o Netherlands 80yrs war 1568-1648 decrease in persecutions as all the resources concentrated
on the war effort
Beliefs
o Astrology
o Lack of medical understanding led to the need for scapegoats
o Rationalism initially legitimised witchcraft
Popular culture
o Printing press 1440s
o Women seen as weaker sex
o The Balkans garlic was used to prevent spirits entering the house
o France: villagers whipped the statue of Saint Vincent when the wine harvest failed
o Prognostications Lichtenberger 1488
o Hermetica
