Who was responsible for persecution, above or below? Flashcards
What did states want to impose?
Moral conformity due to an increase in power
Why was there very few persecutions in England?
There was judicial centralisation
Where was the highest levels of persecution and why?
HRE, no judicial centralisation
What meant that the HRE was vulnerable to prosecutions?
Large number of autonomous terriritories
What did the elite believe to spread diabolism?
Literature
Who had the highest belief in magic?
Both elite and lower class
Who encourage witch hunting?
Preachers from the pulpit
What explanation from below shows that witches were to be prosecuted?
Those accused were unpopular, beggars, accused of cursing; society to get rid of them
What happened in local communities?
Everyone knew eachother
Who were part of village life?
Cunning folk and wise women
Where did peasants form village committees?
Trier, Germany
What was seen as an important factor in accusation?
Refusal of charity
How did refusal cause an accusation?
Poor - curse from the ‘witch’
Rich - guilt for not giving
What’s the overall judgement on whether persecutions came from above or below?
Combined pressure made the outcome effective
