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The start and peak of the witch craze
Early 15th century: The witch hunt phenomenon first appeared in large numbers in southeastern France and western Switzerland.
1486: The publication of Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches) by German inquisitor Heinrich Kramer became an influential guide for hunting and interrogating witches.
1560–1630: This period is generally considered the peak of the European witch hunt, especially in central and southern Germany. Religious turmoil from the Protestant Reformation and conflicts like the Thirty Years' War fueled suspicion and mass hysteria.
1590: The North Berwick witch trials in Scotland began after King James VI, who feared witches were plotting against him, personally oversaw torture and executions.
The decline and end of the hunts
1486: The publication of Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches) by German inquisitor Heinrich Kramer became an influential guide for hunting and interrogating witches.
1560–1630: This period is generally considered the peak of the European witch hunt, especially in central and southern Germany. Religious turmoil from the Protestant Reformation and conflicts like the Thirty Years' War fueled suspicion and mass hysteria.
1590: The North Berwick witch trials in Scotland began after King James VI, who feared witches were plotting against him, personally oversaw torture and executions.
The decline and end of the hunts
Mid-17th century: As skepticism grew among judges and intellectuals, trials began to fade across much of Europe.
1635: The Roman Inquisition acknowledged that its own trials were often illegally conducted, and some places started treating witchcraft cases with more caution.
1735: Britain's Witchcraft Act ended the traditional prosecution of witchcraft as a legal offense, shifting focus to fraud.
1782: The execution of Anna Göldi in Glarus, Switzerland, is often cited as the last official execution for witchcraft in Europe, though the specific charge was poisoning.
Contributing factors
Several complex factors drove the witch hunts:
1635: The Roman Inquisition acknowledged that its own trials were often illegally conducted, and some places started treating witchcraft cases with more caution.
1735: Britain's Witchcraft Act ended the traditional prosecution of witchcraft as a legal offense, shifting focus to fraud.
1782: The execution of Anna Göldi in Glarus, Switzerland, is often cited as the last official execution for witchcraft in Europe, though the specific charge was poisoning.
Contributing factors
Several complex factors drove the witch hunts:
Fear of the Devil: The prevailing belief that witches were malevolent Devil-worshippers who had made a pact with Satan.
Religious conflict: Tensions during the Counter-Reformation and between Catholics and Protestants likely contributed to the panic.
Socio-economic turmoil: Climate changes like the "Little Ice Age," coupled with wars, disease, and poverty, made communities look for scapegoats.
Legal changes: The adoption of inquisitorial procedures in many courts, which often involved torture to extract confessions, created a cycle of accusation.
Religious conflict: Tensions during the Counter-Reformation and between Catholics and Protestants likely contributed to the panic.
Socio-economic turmoil: Climate changes like the "Little Ice Age," coupled with wars, disease, and poverty, made communities look for scapegoats.
Legal changes: The adoption of inquisitorial procedures in many courts, which often involved torture to extract confessions, created a cycle of accusation.
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