WOMEN & WITCHCRAFT IN EUROPE IN THE 16-17TH CENTURIESI. WITCHCRAFT CRAZE of 16-17th centuriesA. GENERAL REMARKS1. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF WOMENa. ACCUSED, TORTURED, EXECUTED2. BECAUSE THESE WOMEN PERCEIVED AS WITCHES3. FOR FIRST TIME WOMEN CRIMINALIZED AS GROUP4. HUNTED OUT PRIMARILY BECAUSE THEY WERE WOMEN5. WOMEN THEN LEARNED TO LIVE WITH FEAR a. MANY RESPECTS FEAR FAR GREATER b. EVEN THAN OUR CURRENT DREAD OF RAPE & ASSAULT6. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?a. ANSWERS ARE STILL BEING SOUGHT BY SCHOLARSB. BACKGROUND TO THIS WITCHCRAFT CRAZE1. IN BOTH ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL TIMESa. PEOPLE BELIEVED IN (1) SORCERERS(2) CUNNING FOLK(3) HERBALISTS2. PEOPLE THOUGHT THESE FOLKS HAD SUPERNATURAL POWERS3. POWER OVER NATURE & HUMAN BEINGS4. POWER TO DO HARM AND TO DO GOOD5. EXAMPLES OF HOW THIS POWER USEDa. PEOPLE WOULD SEEK THEM OUT FOR (1) PROTECTION AGAINST (a) PAIN(b) ILLNESS(c) EARLY DEATHb. TO CONCOCT LOVE PORTIONSc. HELP IN RECOVERY OF STOLEN GOODS OR BURIED TREASUREd. FINDING MISSING CHILDREN6. USUALLY WOMEN SEEN AS HAVING TIES TO THIS EXTRAORDINARY WORLD 7. MAGIC THERE FOR THOSE WHO KNEW HOW TO CALL UP IT 8. WOMEN WITH THESE POWERS APPEARED IN FOLK TALES UP THROUGH 19TH C.9. ALONGSIDE GOOD TALES WERE BLACK MAGICa. WITCHES LIKE IN HANSEL & GRETEL10. IN VILLAGES ALL OVER EUROPE THIS SUPERNATURAL FORCE FOR EVIL ASSUMED TO BE AVAILABLE TO ALL WOMENa. WHETHER THEY CALLED UPON IT OR NOTC. CHANGE IN HOW CHURCH REGARDED CUNNING FOLK1. IN LATE 13TH C. CHURCH BEGAN TO CHANGE HOW THEY VIEWED THESE FOLK2. CHURCH NOW DECLAREDa. ONLY ITS PRIESTS POSSESSED LEGITIMATE MAGICAL POWERSb. THIS MAGICAL POWER CAME FROM GODc. IT INVOLVED CASTING OR EXORCISING DEVILS OR DEMONSFROM PEOPLE3. SO IPSO FACTO THOSE PRACTICING MAGIC OUTSIDE CHURCHa. DERIVED THEIR POWER FROM DEVIL4. CHURCH SAID WITCHES WERE MAKING PACTS WITH DEVILa. IN EXCHANGE FOR THEIR POWERS5. THIS PACT SEALED BY CARNAL INTERCOURSE WITH DEVIL6. THESE WITCHES TRAVELED THROUGH NIGHTa. FLYING ON THEIR BROOMSTICKSb. TO ATTEND SABBATS(1) RENDEZVOUS OR ORGIES W/DEVIL7. ONCE THIS PACT SEALEDa. WITCHES HAD POWER TO COMMIT EVIL ACTS AGAINST HUMANS8. THUS ANY USE OF MAGIC BECAME PROOF OF WORSHIP OF SATAN9. SATANIC MINIONS LOOSE IN WORLDa. UNITED IN COMMON GOALb. STRIVING TO DO DEVIL'S WORK10. NOT TO BELIEVE IN WITCHES AGAINST GOD'S LAWS11. WHILE RULING CLASSES BECAME PREDOMINANTLY CONCERNED W/DIABOLICAL PRACTICES OF WITCHES12. PEASANT CLASSES REMAINED PRIMARILY FRIGHTENED OF MALEFICIAa. PRACTICE OF HARMFUL MAGIC13. THESE FEARS INTENSIFIED AS CHURCH,a. ALARMED BY PERCEIVED THREAT OF SATANIC CONSPIRACYb. SPREAD WORD FROM PULPITS ACROSS EUROPEc. SERMONS INTENSIFIED FEARS OF ALREADY SUPERSTITIOUSPEASANT POPULATION14. AS TIME PASSED PEOPLE ASSIGNED TO WITCHES AN INCREASINGLY BROADER SPECTRUM OF CRIMESa. POWER TO CAUSE SUDDEN DEATH b. POWER TO CAUSE CRIPPLING & PAINFUL ILLNESSESc. POWER TO CAUSE SEXUAL IMPOTENCE, FRIGIDITY, BARRENNESSd. CAUSE FIRES TO START SPONTANEOUSLYe. CAUSE CROP FAILURES & LOSS OF LIVESTOCK15. EVENTUALLY ANY INEXPLICABLE CALAMITY BLAMED ON WITCHESD. HAMMER OF THE WITCHES = MALLEUS MALIFICARUM1. BY LATE 15TH C. EVIDENCE BEING FOUND IN GERMAN AREASa. OF DEVIL & HIS WORSHIP2. SO POPE SENT 2 DOMINICAN FRIARS TO CHECK IT OUT3. RESULT - THEY WROTE BOOKa. MALLEUS MALIFICARUM = HAMMER OF THE WITCHES(1) 1486b. IT IS SELF-EVIDENT THAT WITCHES ARE FEMALE...WHERE THERE ARE MANY WOMEN THERE ARE MANY WITCHES...MEN, LIKE JESUS ARE PROTECTED FROM LURES OF THE DEVIL. BUT WOMEN BECAUSE THEY ARE FEEBLER BOTH IN MIND AND BODY ARE EASY PREY JUST LIKE THEIR PREDECESSOR EVEc. FURTHERMORE - WOMEN ARE MORE CARNAL THAN MEN, 2THEY ARE SEXUALLY INSATIABLE4. NUMEROUS TRANSLATIONS & 30 EDITIONS APPEARED RAPIDLY5. TRANSLATED INTO ALL VERNACULAR LANGUAGES OF EUROPE6. ALL AGREED ONLY WAY TO BE RID OF WITCHES & DEVIL WAS TO KILL THEM7. IF WITCHES NOT BURNED THEY WILL INCREASE BY THEIR SPELLS & CHARMSE. EVENTS OF 16-17TH CENTURIES1. BY 16TH C. EUROPEANS CONVINCED CONTINENT LITERALLY SWARMING WITH WITCHES2. EVEN MOST OF EDUCATED PEOPLE BELIEVED WITCHES EXISTED IN CONSIDERABLE NUMBERSa. PHILOSOPHERS, SCIENTISTS 3. IN RESPONSE SECULAR RULERS PRODUCED LAWS & ORDINANCES AGAINST WITCHES4. COURTS SET UP TO INTERROGATE, TORTURE & EXECUTE WITCHESF. HOW ACCUSATIONS WOULD OCCUR1. FIRST WITCH IN VILLAGE ALWAYS EASY TO NAME2. WOMAN WHO OUTCAST BY CHOICE OR BY POVERTY3. WOMEN LIVING OUTSIDE TRADITIONAL PATTERNS OF VILLAGE'S EXPECTATIONSG. TRIAL & TORTURE OF WITCHES1. NO PROPER COURT PROCEDURESa. EITHER 2 WITNESSESb. OR WITNESS & CONFESSION2. CONFESSIONS CAME FROM TORTURE ALLOWED3. LEARNED BELIEVED TORTURE FREED WITCH FROM DEVIL'S POWERH. METHODS OF EXECUTION1. ONCE DECISION PERSON WITCH a. THEN DEATH BY PUBLIC EXECUTION2. IN GERMANY & ELSEWHERE a. WOMAN FIRST BURNED WITH TONGSb. ON CHANCE FOR SALVATION AS THAT PART OF BODY WOULD BE FREE OF DEVIL'S POWERc. THEN HERE BREASTS CUT OFF(1) DEWOMANIZED HER(2) AS MOST DANGEROUS THING ABOUT THIS EVIL WOMAN HER SEXUALITY3. HORRIFIC WAYS OF EXECUTIONa. BURNED AT STAKEb. BURNED IN TAR BARRELc. BOILED IN OILd. KILLED IN OVENS SPECIALLY BUILT(1) SIMILARLY TO ONES IN WWII4. IN ENGLAND USUALLY NOT MUCH TORTURE & a. HUNGI. ACCUSATIONS, TORTURE & EXECUTION OUT OF CONTROL1. BY END OF 1500'S IN SOME REGIONS OF EUROPE - SW GERMANYa. ACCUSATIONS & HUNTING OUT OF CONTROL2. NO ONE COULD SAY WHO WAS A WITCH & WHO NOT3. 1 WITCHFINDER COULD DETERMINE WHETHER WOMAN 3POSSESSED BY DEVIL a. BY STICKING PINS INTO HER FLESH TO DISCOVER PLACES RENDERED INSENSITIVE BY DEVIL'S TOUCH4. & IF HAD 3 BREASTS - WITCH5. AS COURTS SECURED MORE CONFESSIONS,a. PEOPLE SATISFIED WITCH PERSECUTIONS DOING JOB OF GETTING RID OF WITCHESJ. WERE WITCHES SWARMING ALL OVER EUROPE?1. HISTORIANS HAVE UNCOVERED NO EVIDENCE THAT SATANIC RITUALS ACTUALLY TOOK PLACE 2. EVEN THOUGH CONFESSIONS WERE SHOWING OTHERWISE3. DESPITE FACT THAT A FEW GROUPS DID TRY TO PRACTICE MAGIC 4. OR USED CEREMONIES TO DEAL W/HEALTH PROBLEMS5. NO ESTATE, NO CLASS; NO GROUPS COMPLETELY EXEMPT 6. FOR SOCIETY FELT ANYONE COULD BE A WITCH7. BUT MAINLY THOSE ACCUSED PEOPLE FROM LOWER SOCIAL ECONOMIC GROUPS & WOMEN8. WOMEN ALONE AND OVER 509. AREAS WHERE FEAR OF WITCHES RARE BEFORE REFORMATION a. LIKE SCOTLAND & ENGLAND, b. SAW MAJOR PERSECUTIONS IN 16-17TH C.10. AREAS WHERE RIVALRY MOST INTENSE BETWEEN CATHOLICS & PROTESTANTS a. SUCH AS SOUTHWESTERN GERMANY (1) MOST DEEPLY AFFECTED11. AS WELL AS AREAS RECENTLY BECOMING PROTESTANT12. LARGELY LEFT UNSCATHED BY PERSECUTIONS a. CATHOLIC IRELAND, SPAIN & ITALYb. CALVINIST HOLLANDK.