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REASONS FOR THE WITCHCRAZE (Belief in withcraft (The educated elites new…
REASONS FOR THE WITCHCRAZE
Religious attitudes
Most saw Gods presence in the world everywhere
The world was full of signs of God such as sunshine on St Vincent's day
The church dominated peoples lives,people believed prayer could ward off ill fortune
Magic
Elite intellectuals focused on prophecy,astrology and alchemy
Peasants could not see the division between religion and magic
If misfortune occurred,peasants sought aid from magic
White magic would be used to help people, black magic would be used to harm
Belief in withcraft
The educated elites new the reality of witchcraft
Ordinary Europeans belived withcraft was a pact with the devil and witches were the enemy of God
16th century demonologists belived witches attended Sabbats
This led to women gaining the stereotype which led to the production of witchcraft pamphlets
The execution of witches attracted large crowds
Late 16th century there was an overlap between popular and elite attitudes
Attacks on magic
Witchcraft came under attack from the reformation and the counter reformation
Many religious authorities blamed society's misfortune on witchcraft
Protestant reformers taught that misfortune was punishment from God for sin
State-building
It was claimed that centralised states used their increasing power to pursue and prosecute witches
Countries with a strong government could resist pressure from bellow
Strong states more likely to end witchcraft
Mass persecutions usually occurred in smaller states which were outside the control of the government
Social discipline
Some rulers such as King James VI wanted a more godly state
Witches were seen as a huge threat to the state
The impact of the Reformation
Historians believe that there were increased prosecutions due to the reformation and the CR
Both movements saw witchcraft as a sin
Catholic prince bishops launched wide scale witch-hunts
Catholic and protestant leader alike believed they must resist Satan
Changes in legal system
Intense questioning and the introduction of torture increased executions
In England torture was not used which is why there were less executions
However western Europe such as Spain and Portugal were more lenient than eastern Europe e.g. HRE
Roman law increased the witchcraft investigation
The impact of catastrophes
The rise of catastrophes such as disease epidemics, crop failures and war is seen to have led to more witch prosecutions
Historian Wolfgang Behringer claims "mini ice age" had major impact on witch hunting, people used as scape goats
The greatest witch hunts occurred during the 30 year war
Socio-economic developments
Historians Alan MacFarlane and Keith Thomas claimed that rising population , inflation and poverty had a impact on witchcraft prosecutions
Social tensions between villages and jealous gossip led to trials not the actions of the elite
People who were out casted from society, such as anti social,aggressive women would be targeted
The worsening economic situation meant people were less likely to give to the poor which created divisions
War on Women
80% of the accused were women
However many who gave evidence against the witches were women e.g. in Essex
Women accused did not conform to the sterotype
The assumption was that women were the cause because they were weaker and could succumb to the devil
Conclusion
All of the factors were important however the most important one is Social and economic factors but this is up for debate
People used the Witch craze to gain influence in the community
People exploited it for monetary gain such as Witch hunters
Some people even convinced themselves they were witches
Many individuals contributed
German bishops,
King James VI supporting Daemonolgie
Nicolas Remy
Matthew Hopkins