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Summary How important were denunciations in the development of witch-hunts?
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How important were denunciations in the development ofwitch-hunts?
01 April 2023 13:39
- Q: How important were denunciations in the development of witch-hunts?
→ Paragraph 1: Denunciations
□ Point: Denunciations were encouraged by authorities as the belief in the Devil's Pact,
established in the Council of Trent 1545, meant that there had to be more witches
available
□ Explain: These denunciations then created a key snow-ball effect, where one person
would denounce more people, who would then go on to repeat the process which
results in the hunt developing in terms of size
□ Evidence:
□ In Trier, 306 witches denounced 1500 people, with an average of 1 denouncing 20
others, which resulted in 1,000 being executed - This shows how so many people
can become implicated in the hunts.
□ Moreover, Denunciations in Salem were particularly key as they were done by the
afflicted and spectral evidence was permitted, which meant that when someone
was denounced by the afflicted, it would result in there being not only an
accusation but also solid evidence against them as they could use the Spectral
Evidence, with
□ Anne Putnam Jr accusing 62 witches, and as soon as they accused they were also
providing spectral evidence
□ In Bamberg, the list of leading questions that were presented at interrogations in
Drudenhaus included 2 questions that seemingly forced the individual to name
further accomplices to escape torture, showing the importance of denunciations
□ Counter-point: Denunciations resulted in large hunts moving up the chain, which
ultimately led to the demise of the witch-hunts as more authority figures were now
involved
□ Evidence:
□ 1629 Wurzburg hunt the chain of accusation included children, the Bishop's
chancellor and the bishop leading to the elites questioning it
□ 1692 - Phips' wife accused
→ Paragraph 2: Inquisitorial System and Socio-Economic Changes
□ Point: Changes to the Inquisitorial system allowed for accusations to occur easily
□ Explain: Because without fear of repercussion, which meant during times of inter-
personal disputes or poor socio-economic conditions, people could blame others
without any fear of repercussions
□ Evidence:
John Rivet was able to accuse Elizabeth Clarke of harming his wife, despite this
being natural it meant Rivet had nothing to worry about if he was wrong.
Walpurga Hausmannin in Germany was found guilty of killing 40 babies in 1587
over a 12-year period, she was a midwife, showing how naturally high infant
mortality rates combined with the Inquisitorial system allowed for a scapegoat for
the grieving parents
□ Point: Increased reliance on the use of torture to gain confessions due to the new
system meant confessions were easily gained
□ Explain: This is because people were tortured to the point of confession, with evidence
from Germany showing some people were tortured up to 56 times for a confession,
showing how important the developments in torture were
□ Evidence: When torture was used in places that normally didn't, like
England, it resulted in large hunts (East Anglia 1645-147),
Places like Drudenhaus were built by Dornheim in Bamberg with the sole purpose
of gaining confessions through torture.
When hunts did die down, it was usually by restricting the use of tortured
Pop Culture + Witchcraft Essay Plans Page 81
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