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40/40 A* A Level History Coursework - Witchcraft
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A* 40/40 A Level History Coursework that contains references etc. Useful to use for structure etc.
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Historians have disagreed about what caused the European witch-craze of the sixteenth andseventeenth centuries. What is your view about what caused the witch-craze of the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries?
An argument between modern historians has always been present in analysing contemporary
work, on what factor was the greatest and most influential in causing the European witch-craze
of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Within this debate, Gregory, Thomas and Briggs
offer their views regarding which factors were present and most significant in causing the
European witch-craze. Social dynamics, economy, gender and religion have all been seen as
fundamental factors in creating a witchcraze and generating accusations and convictions. It is
overall true that economic reasons were the greatest cause for the witchcraze, largely due to
dependencies within social dynamics and gender. Thomas and Briggs both overall agree with
this regard, however Gregory disagrees, arguing that wives were more likely to be accused than
dependent widows. Thomas, with his collaborative work with Macfarlane sees social dynamics
as a fundamental cause of the witchcraze through its social structure it creates to encourage
accusations, Briggs has a similar overlapping perception whereas Gregory says little on the
matter. Gender has commonly been seen as the largest factor for the witchcraze in recent
times, with historians like Barstow considering the withcraze as an attack on women.1 Briggs
and Gregory agree that the stereotypical witch is wrong, with Briggs referring to a feminist
myth. Thomas presents a stronger argument which agrees that women weren’t accused
because of their gender but due to the economic dependency that many widows had. Thomas’
argument for Religion is strong and one I greatly favour, with his perspective that the
reformation making witchcraft appear a danger. Whereas Briggs refers to the oppression of
heretics which eventually turned towards witches. Ultimately, the argument of Briggs’ work is
more valuable, as well as Economic reasons being the cause of the European witchcraze of the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
Fundamentally, the presence of social dynamics in causing a European witch-craze in the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries cannot be undermined. Briggs argues that many European
witch trials were instigated from below, with social cohesion creating accusations.2 Similarly,
Thomas suggests that neighbours accused neighbours through social concepts such as charity
refusal. 3 Gregory refers to the work of Thomas and Macfarlane, agreeing that it was the most
1 Anne Barstow, Witchcraze: a new history of the European Witch Hunts, 1994
2 Robin Briggs, ‘Many Reasons Why’: Witchcraft and the problem of multiple explanation in Witchcraft in Early
Modern Europe, 2010
3 Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, 1971
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