Bamberg / Southern Germany Flashcards
(15 cards)
What was the religious climate / context at the time ?
South Germany was divided religiously - the ruler of each region decided the religion
After the council of Trent , there were many changes made :
Feast of Fools ended
Dances and fairs banned on church grounds
Catholic clergy not allowed to partake in festivals
What was the impact of the counter reformation on bamberg / south Germany ?
In the 2nd half of the 16th century the Catholic Church began to regain territory / followers led by prince bishops aided by the jesuits
Prince bishops used Catholicism to control people
How did he withdrawal of the elite from popular culture affect south Germany and bamberg ?
A gulf between nobility / bougeoise and everyone else
Clergy became separate to the peasantry
Elite withdrew from eating with retainers in big halls creating more division
How did the counter reformation in south Germany act as a reason for the withcraze ?
Conversion of Protestants was prioritised and those who didn’t convert were persecuted
John Gottfried von auschhausen as PB of bamberg led to more prosecutions
He brought in the jesuits and issued a new ordinance which on witchcraft which punished anyone practising magic
Why was the 30 years war a reason for an increase in witch-hunting in south Germany?
Large armies devastated SG - towns were plunders and young men conscripted
Combined with poor harvest and inflation led to growing fear of witches
Catholics became fanatical those who deviated from orthodox practices seen as a heretic and suspicions placed on the devil
How did economics crisis cause the withcraze in south Germany ?
A number of trials made reference to poor harvests :
Lorentz Kempffen Seebaur’s wife in 1629 as she suggested frost should ruin harvests
Confession of Katharina Merckhlerin in 1629 as she was mentioned to be involved with a plot to freeze crops
Trials in bamberg peaked when frost destroyed the wine crop which coincided with war debts leading to higher taxes
How was inflation a reason for the witch craze in bamberg ?
Silver imports were declining - real value of coinage fell with poor harvests led to higher prices which was blamed on witches
Economic causes mentioned in confessions :
Margathia Eissmannin admitted to coin clipping as poverty turned her to the devil
Kunigudta Rindterin had a relationship with a rich man to avoid poverty ( seen as a pact with the devil )
What was the structure of the Holy Roman Empire at the time ?
Many autonomous and semi autonomous states
South Germany more politically fragmented than the north
Wurzberg and bamberg were much smaller units which had massive WHing
Shoes the hunts only possible in very special legal and political contexts
Who were the people mainly convicted in south Germany ?
Initially the ones were the people who fitted the stereotype
However in many areas , rich and. Nobles were persecuted :
In Trier the former Lord Mayor , councillors , priests and chancellor of the university were burned
In bamberg, the vice chancellor and his wife + kids were burned . He was tortured to confess and he named relatives and m8’s as witches who were then executed
Why were all the groups getting persecuted ?
Political and social revenge
Confiscation of possessions
Those who acted leniently to the accused
Evidence of accusations from others
In bamberg 1623-1631 73% accused were women who were younger than the stereotypical witch
In some instances a man was accused and then executed with the wife and kids
In bamberg there is evidence of those who failed to receive communion getting killed
How did the authorities use torture to crack down on witch craft in bamberg and south Germany ?
Carolina law of 1532 - allowed a range of torture methods to be used
In Bamberg , witch prisons were built - confessions via torture was allowed in court while defendants were denied many legal rights
How did authorities try and gain confessions out of witches in south Germany and bamberg ?
They set out 101 questions to be used in interrogations , trying to explain why they became involved with the devil
Accused often said they were blackmailed with death to force their cooperation with the devil ( oaths of loyalty to the devil )
Confessions used to extract names of other witches
How did the authorities use confiscations in south Germany and Bamberg ?
Law in Bamberg allows confiscations - which is why many rich noblemen and elites were prosecuted
Victims had to pay the expenses of the interrogators / staff required for the execution
Which led to the creation of the witchcraft industry
What was the role of the prince bishops in south Germany and Bamberg ?
They used the Edict of restitution issued by emperor Ferdinand II in 1629 to justify their actions as it called the conversion of Protestants
Johan Georg Fuchs von Dornheim were supporters of the counter reformation . He and many claimed that :
Outbreak of the 30YW was due to the prots
Witches + Prots preachers undermined social order
Occult practices were being carried out where prot preachers lived
Why did the hunts in south Germany end ?
There was opposition from the emperor Ferdinand II
Bishop former of Bamberg died in 1630
Gustavus II of Sweden occupied Bamberg and forced main prosecutors like von dornheim to flee
