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Summary 'Religious divisions were important in the prosecution of witches' How far do you agree with this view? [25]
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'Religious divisions were important in the prosecution ofwitches' How far do you agree with this view?
01 April 2023 13:44
Paragraph 1: Religious Divisions
- Point: Firstly, it could be stated that in religiously homogenous states, where there was a lack
of religious divisions, there was clearly less prosecutions than normal
- Explain:
→ This is because the impact of the reformation and the subsequent counter-reformation
after the Council of Trent 1545, meant that certain geographical areas were
experiencing large moral regulation due to the Reformation and the impact of
Puritanism.
→ Moreover, the responding counter-reformation encouraged religious leaders to crack
down on certain popish traditions, adding to the moral regulation
→ This also created a drive from both Puritans/Calvinists/Protestants to compete with
Catholics to create 'Godly' states to prove they were holy, which included the
prosecution and removal of witches in society
- Evidence:
→ 1645-7, 250 tried, over 100 executed during the English Civil War, which had religious
connotations, with a struggle between Puritanism from within Parliament, compared to
Charles and his more moderate support of Arminianism
→ Southern Germany between 1580-1630 was centred around Prince-Bishops who were
imposing the Counter-Reformation on their subjects and trying to create Godly states
→ Drudenhaus, built by Dornheim in Bamberg would have a set of leading questions asked
during torture, securing confessions
→ Catholic Prince Bishops oversaw 6,000 deaths during the 40 year period, with the
geography of the hunts significantly impacted by the religious zeal and personality of the
rulers
→ Prince Bishop Aschhausen's appointment in 1609, resulted in a rise in prosecutions. He
brought in Jesuits and issued a new ordinance on witchcraft, punishing anyone who
practiced witchcraft, coinciding with a Protestant rebellion in nearby Bohemia
→ Salem 1692, there was a drive for a Theocratic Godly State - With Samuel Parris, a
Puritan Minister pumped on religious zeal having the hunts start in his house - Also
consider the context of Cotton Mather and 1688 Mary Glover Case - Also Wabanaki
Context works here (fear of religious and physical 'other')
- Counter-point: That being said, this isn't a coherent picture, since religiously homogenous
states weren't always free from prosecutions, and thus it could be stated that it was legal
developments that were key to the prosecution of witches, since they provided a mechanism
for the hunts
- Explain:
→ In times of large religious conflicts such as the 30 Years' War or the French Wars of
Religion, when religious strife was at a theoretical high, there wasn't always a
corresponding large increase in prosecutions, showing it might not have been religious
divisions that were important
→ To continue, homogenous states like Italy or Spain also saw wide-spread hunts, and it
could be argued the reason they didn't continue was due to an effective response from
the authorities and judicial centralisation
- Evidence:
→ 1562-1598, the French Wars of Religion saw a decrease in hunts despite there being
poor socio-economic and religious strife - Instead it was clear that the courts were
frozen and any judicial activity was more concerned with the establishment of new
rulers, meaning hunts couldn’t occur
→ 30 Years' War continued until 1648, but Southern Germany saw a rapid decrease after
1630, with the capture of Bamberg in 1632 forcing the Prince-Bishop Dornheim out of
Bamberg and freezing Drudenhaus' courts as the King of Sweden wasn't concerned
Pop Culture + Witchcraft Essay Plans Page 51
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