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Question 1

What encouraged persecutions from those in authority during witch hunts?

Answer 1

Weak central authority encouraged persecutions from those in authority, as with the Prince Bishops.

Question 2

What was the ideological base for the witch hunts?

Answer 2

Rulers wanted to impose moral conformity, which provided an ideological base for the hunts.

Question 3

What role did community involvement play in witch hunts?

Answer 3

Community involvement was present but secondary.

Question 4

Who orchestrated some of the largest witch hunts?

Answer 4

Some of the largest witch-hunts were orchestrated or escalated by religious and political elites, not common people.

Question 5

What happened during the Bamberg and Würzburg Witch Hunts?

Answer 5

Prince-bishops used witch trials to reinforce Catholicism during the Counter-Reformation. Over 1,000 executed in elite-led campaigns.

Example: Bamberg and Würzburg Witch Hunts (Germany, 1620s)

Question 6

What initiated the North Berwick Trials?

Answer 6

The North Berwick Trials were initiated by King James VI’s personal belief in witchcraft and fear of assassination. The hunt only escalated after he became involved.

Example: North Berwick Trials (1590s, Scotland)

Question 7

What was the purpose of the Fulda Trials?

Answer 7

Prince-Abbot Balthasar von Dernbach revived trials to assert religious authority during confessional tension.

Example: Fulda Trials (1603–1606, Germany)