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witchcraze Flashcards

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1
Q

what were common beliefs about witches in Early modern Europe?

A

Witches made pacts with the Devil, attended sabbath,flew, and performed maleficium to harm others

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2
Q

what is maleficium?

A

harmful magic causing illness, death or misfortune

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3
Q

what is diabolism?

A

worship of the devil in return for supernatural powers

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4
Q

how did the protestant reformation influence witch-hunting?

A

it intensified fear of heresy and increased religious conflict, driving hunts in both Catholic and Protestant areas

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5
Q

how did the Catholic Church deal with witchcraft?

A

through the inquisition, treating witchcraft as heresy and using trials and confessions to secure convictions

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6
Q

what is a familiar?

A

a demon or animal-shaped spirit believed to help witches cast spells

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7
Q

how did socio-economic conditions fuel hunts?

A

crop failure, war, plague and inflation led to fear and scapegoating

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8
Q

why were women mainly accused?

A

due to misogynisitic beliefs, religious views on female weakness and women’s lower social status?

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9
Q

who were typical victims of accusations?

A

poor, widowed,elderly or socially isolated women

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10
Q

what was the malleus maleficarum?

A

a 1487 witch-hunting manual that blamed women and promoted harsh persecutions.

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11
Q

what is the difference between the inquisitorial and accusatorial systems?

A

inquisitorial: judge-led with torture
accusatorial: based on public accusation and jury trials

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12
Q

why did England have fewer executions?

A

the jury system and stricter evidence requirements made convictions harder

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13
Q

how did neighbourly tensions cause accusations?

A

long-term grudges over property, charity, or personal disputes led to witchcraft claims.

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14
Q

what role did religion play in accusations?

A

the devil was seen as an active force; Puritans and Catholics both viewed witches as spiritual enemies

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15
Q

what was a witch’s sabbat?

A

a supposed gathering of witches to worship the devil and plan harmful acts.

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16
Q

what was considered evidence of witchcraft?

A

confessions, devil’s marks, witness testimonies or unnatural behaviour.

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17
Q

how did the printing press affect witch trials?

A

it spread fear through pamphlets, trial reports and demonological texts.

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18
Q

what caused the decline of witch-hunting?

A

legal reform, enlightenment thinking, state centralisation and scepticism.

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19
Q

how did the enlightenment affect belief in witchcraft?

A

promoted science and reason, undermining belief in the supernatural

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20
Q

what role did confessions play?

A

often gained through torture or coercion, they were treated as conclusive proof

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21
Q

where did the Bamberg witch trials take place?

A

in the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg, part of HRE

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22
Q

who led the trials?

A

Prince Bishop Johann Georg II Fuchs von Dornheim, ‘witch bishop’

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23
Q

what was the Drundenhaus?

A

a special witch prison where torture was used

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24
Q

why did the trials begin?

A

religious tensions, war, poor harvests and fear of disorder

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25
how many people were executed?
over 300 individuals
26
what role did property seizure play?
confiscated wealth motivated further accusations, especially of the wealthy
27
what happened to Johannes Junius?
mayor of barbers, confessed under torture and left a famous letter
28
who were the main targets?
both elite figures and ordinary citizens, including mayors and councillors.
29
how were confessions obtained?
through torture, threats and sleep deprivation
30
why did the hunts escalate?
tortured confessions produced more names, creating a chain of accusations
31
what did the imperial chamber court do?
it intervened and criticised the trials, leading to their end
32
what was the thirty's years war's role?
it created fear, famine and social collapse - all fertile grounds for hunts
33
why did the trials end in Bamberg?
imperial intervention, Swedish invasion and logistical exhaustion
34
how were the elites involved?
they supported and benefited from the trials through confiscation and religious control
35
why is bamberg important in European witchcraft history?
it shows how religious zeal and political power created mass persecutions
36
what role did catholicism play?
as part if the Counter-Reformation, it intensified efforts to purge sin
37
what made Bamberg legally unusual?
the use of special prisons and lack of external judicial oversights
38
how did people resist the trials?
some protested to the emperor or fled
39
how did the trials in Bamberg affect over regions?
they inspired or legitimised other hunts across Southern Germany
40
what did bamberg's end show about central authority?
that strong imperial power can stop local excesses
41
when did the East Anglian hunts occur?
Between 1645-47, during the English civil war
42
who was Matthew Hopkins?
A self declared "WItchfinder General" who led many accusations
43
what allowed the trials to happen?
collapse of law enforcement and fear during the civil war
44
Who was John Stearne?
Hopkin's assistant and co-investigator
45
what was the typical accused profile?
poor, elderly and widowed women with few social ties
46
what was the role of Puritanism?
it viewed witchcraft as sin and moral failure; communities wanted cleansing
47
what were the methods of interrogation?
watching, sleep deprivation, pricking for devil's marks and forced confessions
48
how many were executed?
around 100-200 people
49
what was the discovery of witches
a 1647 book by Hopkins defending his actions
50
why did the trials end?
return of assize judges, rising costs, public doubt and Hopkin's death
51
what role did town finances play?
towns paid fees to Hopkins and gaolers, straining local budgets
52
what was the legal flaw in the trials?
lack of representation and weak evidence standards
53
what happened in Manningtree?
one of the first major hunts, resulting in multiple executions
54
how did people respond to hunts?
some supported Hopkins, other grew increasingly skeptical
55
what did sceptics criticise?
use of torture, financial motives and injustice
56
what role did the press play?
printed pamphlets spread news and justified hunts
57
how did gender expectations feed accusations?
women who argued, healed or defied men were easily accused
58
why did Parliament not stop the trials?
they were distracted by the war and often supported Puritan reformersW
59
why is East Anglia significant?
it was the largest and most intense witch hunt in English history
60
what was Hopkins's legal authority?
none officially, he relied on local support and informal approval
61
how were children's testimonies used?
they were treated as legitimate evidence, especially for 'affliction'
62
how did the public react to executions?
with a mix of fear, satisfaction and later guilt
63
what was the long-term impact?
created scepticism of witch-hunting and highlighted the need for legal reform
64
what did the restoration change?
it re-established central control and ended Puritan-led persecution
65
were men accused too?
yes but in smaller numbers often by association with accused women
66
what happened to Hopkins?
he died in 1647, ending his influence
67
what was the socio-political context?
civil war, breakdown of royal authority and puritan radicalism
68
what lessons were learned?
that decentralised justice can lead to mass injustice.
69
what did the legal profession think?
many lawyers and judges disapproved of Hopkins's methods
70
How did the elite view the hunts?
some supported them, others feared they'd get out of control
71
where did the Salem witch trials take place?
in salem village, Massachusetts Bay Colony, North America
72
when did the trials occur?
February 1692-May 1693
73
Who was Samuel Parris?
Puritan minister in Salem; his daughter and niece were among the first '"afflicted"
74
who was tituba?
an enslaved women from Barbados who confessed to witchcraft under pressure?
75
what started the trials?
strange behaviour by girls after fortune-telling games, blamed on witchcraft
76
what is spectral evidence?
claims that a person's spirit appeared and harmed someone - widely accepted in Salem
77
who were the main accusers?
young girls including Abigail Williams, Betty Parris and Ann Putnam Jr.
78
who were typical targets?
outspoken women, the poor, religious dissenters and even respected figures
79
how many people were executed
19 hanged, 1 pressed to death and several died in jail.
80
what happened to Giles Corey?
refused to plead, was pressed to death with heavy stones
81
Why was Rebecca Nurse’s execution controversial?
She was respected and initially acquitted, but the verdict was reversed.
82
Who was George Burroughs?
A former minister accused of leading a witch conspiracy; recited the Lord’s Prayer before execution.
83
What was Cotton Mather’s role?
A Puritan minister who supported the trials and justified them in his writings.
84
What did Increase Mather argue?
That spectral evidence was unreliable; better to let ten guilty go free than kill one innocent
85
What was the Court of Oyer and Terminer?
A special court created to try accused witches — allowed spectral evidence.
86
Who led the court?
Chief Judge William Stoughton.
87
How did the public react over time?
Initial support turned to doubt and regret, especially after respected figures were accused.
88
How did the trials end?
Governor Phips dissolved the court, banned spectral evidence, and pardoned many.
89
Why did the trials escalate so quickly?
Spectral evidence, child testimonies, factionalism, and religious paranoia.
90
Why did the trials stop?
Public backlash, elite pressure, Phips’s intervention, and ministerial criticism.
91
What was the 1706 confession by Ann Putnam Jr.?
She apologised, claiming the Devil had deceived her into making false accusations.
92
What is the significance of Salem?
It was short-lived but intense, driven by mass hysteria and judicial failure.
93
How did religion affect the trials?
Puritan belief in Satan’s influence made spiritual affliction a credible charge.
94
What was the Goodwin case?
A 1688 Boston case of child possession, publicised by Cotton Mather, which inspired the Salem events.
95
How did Governor Phips respond to criticism?
He shut down the trials, replaced the court, and ended executions.
96
Why did Salem use no torture?
Torture was illegal under Massachusetts law, unlike in European inquisitorial systems.
97
What was the long-term impact?
Public apologies, compensation, and major scepticism about witchcraft prosecutions.
98
What happened to the judges afterward?
Only Samuel Sewall repented; others remained silent or defended their actions.
99
What role did class play in accusations?
Early victims were marginalised, but later even wealthy figures were accused — which caused doubt.
100
What ended witch trials in America?
The Salem backlash discredited such trials permanently in colonial New England.

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