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Witchcraft in Europe

Witchcraft in Europe. During the 16 th and 17 th centuries, many Europeans were still obsessed with sin, death and the Devil. Some continued to believe in the power of magic and the occult…. Between 1400-1700, courts sentenced approximately 70-100,000 people to death for witchcraft.

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Witchcraft in Europe

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  1. Witchcraft in Europe

  2. During the 16th and 17th centuries, many Europeans were still obsessed with sin, death and the Devil.

  3. Some continued to believe in the power of magic and the occult…

  4. Between 1400-1700, courts sentenced approximately 70-100,000 people to death for witchcraft.

  5. Allegedly, these people attended mass witch meetings known as sabbats in which they…

  6. …flew and engaged in acts of cannibalism.

  7. Many credit the misfortune of religious divisions and warfare for the witchcraft panics.

  8. 80% of all witch hunt victims were women, between the ages of 45-60, and single.

  9. Many argue that misogyny, based on male hatred and sexual fear of women, …

  10. …and more potential independence for women, spurred on the witch hunts.

  11. Other theories suggest that single women were natural targets due to their frequent need of public assistance.

  12. Due to their economic woes, more women claimed to have supernatural powers to enhance their influence in village society.

  13. Women were also targeted due to their involvement in midwifery and often were blamed for the deaths of wives and infants.

  14. Protestants and Catholics hunted witches

  15. Why did the witch hunts end in the 17th Century?

  16. 1) A more scientific worldview developed: mind and matter were viewed as two independent realities.

  17. 2) Advances in medicine eventually made people less inclined to blame witches for their physical maladies.

  18. 3) Insurance companies developed and began to give people more security against natural disasters or other financial losses.

  19. 4) Witch hunts tended to get out of control. Judges and prominent townspeople were accused by the trial victims themselves.

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