The Renaissance is a period of time between the 15th century and the 17th century known for its renewed classical learning, art, and culture that began in Italy and moved into the rest of Europe. This time saw the growth of diplomacy, and science based on observations.
Today it is popularly known as the time when western civilization came out of the dark ages and into forward progress. People hold festivals and fairs to celebrate it, and write fictional stories that revel in the highlights. But chances were, if something was roasting on an open fire in the town square, it wasn't turkey legs.
Finding and executing witches was not new to the Renaissance era; it was not unheard of at any time in history to vilify people
practicing different religions, or blame them for sickness, deaths, famine, or even just bad weather. But as an institution, prior to 1000 C.E., the Catholic church condemned witch hunting, regarding it as a weakness of faith to fear or be concerned with witches, pagans, or ‘demon’ religions. Between 1100 C.E. and 1400 C.E., the church was looking to regain its losing credibility by hunting down heretics. There was some dissent in regions regarding who was a heretic however. By defining witches and demonic sorcery as a single, wide spread group intent on the destruction of Christianity, the church was able to point to an undeniable and evil brand of heretic. Fear, self-righteousness, and intolerance encouraged accusations. Plague and famine gave them credibility. By the late 1400’s, prosecuting witches had become a full time profession.
An estimated 40-60,000 people were executed for witchcraft during this period of time. Confessions were elicited through torture, and there was no way to misprove allegations. What had before been local superstition and isolated events, turned in to the worse mass hysteria in early modern history.
Today it is popularly known as the time when western civilization came out of the dark ages and into forward progress. People hold festivals and fairs to celebrate it, and write fictional stories that revel in the highlights. But chances were, if something was roasting on an open fire in the town square, it wasn't turkey legs.
Finding and executing witches was not new to the Renaissance era; it was not unheard of at any time in history to vilify people
practicing different religions, or blame them for sickness, deaths, famine, or even just bad weather. But as an institution, prior to 1000 C.E., the Catholic church condemned witch hunting, regarding it as a weakness of faith to fear or be concerned with witches, pagans, or ‘demon’ religions. Between 1100 C.E. and 1400 C.E., the church was looking to regain its losing credibility by hunting down heretics. There was some dissent in regions regarding who was a heretic however. By defining witches and demonic sorcery as a single, wide spread group intent on the destruction of Christianity, the church was able to point to an undeniable and evil brand of heretic. Fear, self-righteousness, and intolerance encouraged accusations. Plague and famine gave them credibility. By the late 1400’s, prosecuting witches had become a full time profession.
An estimated 40-60,000 people were executed for witchcraft during this period of time. Confessions were elicited through torture, and there was no way to misprove allegations. What had before been local superstition and isolated events, turned in to the worse mass hysteria in early modern history.
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These images of wood engravings published in 1608 in Compendium Maleficarum, written by Francesco Maria Guazza, depicts some common perceptions of witches. The images are of witches trampling the cross, adoring the devil with a ritual kiss, being baptized by the devil, exchanging the Christian scriptures for a black book representing the Devils scriptures, recieving the Devil's mark, offering their children into his service, and sacrificing their babies. |
Malleus Maleficarum, authored by two Inquisitors, and published in 1487, was designed to be a complete encyclopedic volume on witchcraft. So called the Hammer of Witches because it was to be used by Inquisitors, secular officials, and lay people alike to seek out and destroy all witches. Written after Gutenberg had created a printing press in 1450, this booklet was mass distributed in Germany, and quickly made it's way throughout Europe and eventually into colonies on other continents.
Accusing a witch was easy, since only mortal enemies were ruled out as witnesses, and pretty much any charge could be made into witchcraft. The book maintains that, although witches caused death, and destruction, and disease, and disharmony, they also only tricked people into thinking they did things (since God was more powerful and wouldn't allow some of their acts) so if not everyone saw the same thing, there was an explaination.
The book was widely followed for centuries, and covered not only who was a witch, and what they were doing, but also how to prosecute them. By listing as many scenarios as possible, each defense against an accusation was refuted, and the interpretation of the evidence was left entirely up to the judges of the trial.
During an interrogation, it was believed that the devil would sometimes protect his servant from feeling any pain, so they wouldn't confess even under the most painful torture. Other times, God would intervene, and the accused would feel the pain and confess. So while in most places a confession was necessary for a death sentencs, a guilty verdict and lifelong imprisonment was always possible. Also believed was that witches were unable to cry, so if there were no tears during any of the questioning, torture, or trials, she was most definitely a witch. Unless the devil let her cry to fool people, and then she was still a witch. Witches had marks on their bodies that could identify them as the devil's servants, unless the devil decided to hide it, in which case she was still a witch even if a mark couldn't be found. Most people are familiar with the trial of water: an accused witch was bound and thrown into water; if she floated than the water rejected her and she should be removed from the water and executed as a witch. If she sank and drowned, well then people knew that she was innocent all along... or that the devil made her sink to fool people.
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This documentary is about the impact of the Malleus Maleficarum produced by Documentary TV. |
The Reformation did nothing to slow the furor. The Catholic church was spurred on with even greater desire to root out heretics and evil, due in part to their once more failing credibility, and also to stop additional revolts against their authority.
Martin Luthor, not known for his tolerance, was an advocate of witch hunting, he and his followers saw the existance of witches as proof of God's wrath against people for the past and continued indulgences of the Catholic church, and was eager to wipe out any trace of witchcraft and win back God's graces.
Martin Luthor, not known for his tolerance, was an advocate of witch hunting, he and his followers saw the existance of witches as proof of God's wrath against people for the past and continued indulgences of the Catholic church, and was eager to wipe out any trace of witchcraft and win back God's graces.
Burning witches was not the only way of executing them, but a lot of the imagery shows it. Witches were commonly hung, strangled, or beheaded, and many were burned post-humously. One town suffering from a reoccurence of the plague dug up a deceased woman thought to be a witch and burned her body to stop the sickness.
The reproduction on the left is from a posted notice in Germany in 1555. Below left is from Scotland in 1643, and below right is from England in 1645. |
All sources are listed here.
Posted by Barbara Sands