Exam (elaborations)
ESCALATION OF THE WITCH HUNTS
- Institution
- OCR
escalation of the witch hunts with synthesis
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
'Throughout the witch craze of the 16th and 17th centuries the use of torture escalated the scale of witchhunts.' How far do you agree?
Q.F = The role of torture acted as a catalyst in speeding up the processes of execution for witchcraft. The use of
torture helped intensify a witch accusation to a witch-hunt and craze. When torture was used to gain a confession it
led to a 95% chance of the accused confessing.
Torture was allowed under exceptional However, torture was implemented from
circumstances of the 1532 Carolina Code & the bottom-up in Scotland being from pressure from
1604 statute in England & under acceptance the kirk state commission. Whereas, in the HRE,
from the pivy council in Scotland. Torture was this came from a top-down approach, where
used illegally used throughout England, Scotland authorities excessively used their powers to
& the HRE. This ultimately allowed a confession torture and find the guilty witches. England
and secured one. Hopkins wasn’t a leal authority appears to be most similar to Scotland having
so shouldn’t have been using torture regardless. Matthew Hopkins and Stearne being a bottom-
Hopkins used his sleep deprivation technique on up authoritative figure to extensively use torture
Elizabeth Clarke who eventually admitted to and assert power.
having sexual relations with the devil. In the HRE, Scotland was harsher on torture than England. In
Ferdinand held 2,000 victims, Shonenberg in Scotland only 3 times was torture allowed from
Trier had 350 victims & Ehrenberg in Wurzburg the privy council. The Scottish monarchy seemed
held 900 victims. In Scotland, the kirk demanded to be weak, and so local judges often allowed
use of torture and the rise of the radical kirk torture without suffering the repercussions.
party to create a ‘godly society’ was what had Unlike in England, where the swimming test was
led to the 1650 witch-hunt. hardly used. However, jurisdiction that adhered
Although James didn’t advocate torture, he strictly to imperial code of law in the Carolina
allowed it to happen and promoted it by not code executed fewer witches than those who
doing anything to intervene. This is also true in blatantly ignored it. This suggests that the role of
England when torture got out of hand but was torture was not important whether it was in the
due to the breakdown of authority in civil war. law or not, because authorities acted on their
Particularly in 1645, in Manningtree, where the own desires.
powers were handed down to the Earl of The belief in the devil was a key belief across the
Warwick – someone with not much experience. HRE, Scotland & England. In Scotland, Gilly
Torture was sometimes even bottom-up. Things Duncan confessed to selling her soul to the devil.
such as skimmington and Chiavari was used for In Lorraine in 1608, Catherine la Rondalette
wrongdoers or ‘drunkards’. In England, the docks confessed to making a pact with the devil (a
were a common use. The bottom-up beliefs in black man named ‘Percy’). However, the
society meant that they felt good about denunciation of witches wasn’t common in
authorities and themselves using torture. In HRE, England because there needed to be the
the key belief was that they believed if the Devil necessary pre-condition of the belief in the
used violence, it justified their torture on sabbath.
witches. Torture also enabled further
denunciations of witches.
MJ = Overall, torture helped escalate the witch-trials, but that is about as far as it goes. In terms of being a necessary
factor for a witch-craze, there is no evidence that the use of torture was essential in order for them to happen or be
a grand phenomenom.
Q.F = The role of the authorities played a crucial role in escalating the witch-hunts.
It was common across the HRE, England and However, whereas Hopkins was a self-appointed
Scotland that the authorities intervened in cases witchfinder general using extensive torture for
when it best suited them. For example, James got power & money, and Dornheim had his own
involved with Agnes Sampson after Anne’s ship Druddenhaus (witch prison), James wanted fair
capsizes and there are storms that throw them off justice and wasn’t an avid with hunter like many
course, John Fian for committing treason against assume due to his publications of Demonology in
James and with Barbra Napier to get her executed 1597.
despite previously being acquitted, Hopkins gets However, James was always a ‘sceptic’ when it
involved with John Lowes – a priest to arguably came to witch-hunting, rather than a promoter of
assert his power and authority, Von Dornheim got it. He wanted to acquit Agnes Sampson until she
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller bocaophelie. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £2.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
75759 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now