The witch craze of the 1600's

A detailed Summary of The witch craze of the 1600's

Are there such things as a witch? If the answer is yes, then what do they look like? Where do they live? In what way are they different from the modern day illusionist or magician? If the answer is no, then explain why nearly the entire population of Europe was convinced that witches existed for more then a century so much so, in fact, that a section of their written laws was devoted to the steps for discovery and prosecution of witches ? If you were to ask the average individual in North America what they new about witches, they would probably mention something about the Salem witch trials that took place in Massachusetts during colonial America. The fact of the matter is that the twenty witch burnings that took place in Salem in 1692 pale in comparison to the witch craze that engulfed Western Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries . If the entire population of a continent believed in witches, then it is unquestionable they do exist, or at least did exist, right? One logical way to accurately answer these questions is to examine books pertaining to the controversial subject of witches. The two books chosen for this investigation provide both a macro and a micro perspective on the European witch craze. Jo

'One way of understanding the witch craze is to see it as a part of the many sided war on popular culture waged by reforming clerical and lay establishments in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The chronology of witch hunting argues for this thesis, because the onset of large-scale witch trails corresponds almost exactly with the uneven spread of reforming impulses across Christendom.'

By comparing these two books and their political, religious, and social related arguments, an understanding of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries has been obtained. That understanding is that life, as we know it today, differs immensely to life during that era. This is evident in the political, religious, and social attitudes expressed in these two books. An interesting question nonetheless remains: Has life really changed that much? It is true that the technological advances are enormous and women's social status has changed completely for the better, but have the witch-hunts truly stopped? In order to understand this question one must take into account the political, religious, and social factors produced by these two books surrounding the witch craze of the past. Based on the study of humanities in recent history, an obvious answer would be that there are no recorded witch trails anymore. However, a response to that could then be that perhaps we as a society have just simply replaced the witch with something or someone else.

In order to understand these books more clearly, the scene must be set for the impending investigation. Although the witch craze was a phenomenon that swept throughout all of Europe, the Western half of the continent proved to be the main theatre of events, probably due to its more populated urban centers. The focus of the study will consequently be of that particular region . The life of a European in the sixteenth and seventeenth century was difficult at best. That time period saw a constant struggle, involving everything from great wars to minor disputes and boycotting, between two religious factions: the Catholics and the Protestants . At a time when the belief in God was constant, the devotion to religion strong and battle worthy, personal beliefs could prove to be dangerously life threatening. Along with these fanatical religious views, the European person also had to survive through food shortages, economic depression, famine, and a plague as destructive as the Black Death that decimated local populations wherever it went . Overall, life proved to be quite difficult for the average European and virtually impossible for the poor.

One the first steps in comparing the arguments presented in each book is to establish their respective main arguments. Focusing first on Klaits' Servants of Satan, it was evident that the author's main goal was to explain the witch craze by highlighting and interpreting the political, social and intellectual dimensions of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries . Secondly, the book by Robert Rapley A Case of Witchcraft, underlined how a specific individual, in this case a Catholic priest named Urbain Grandier, was convicted of witchcraft due to his political, social, and religious views. It should be noted that although these authors approached the issue of witchcraft differently, the main theme of both these books remained similar in the fact that both historians attempted to clarify the outburst of the witch hunts with political, religious, and social explanations.

Continuing to focus on A Case of Witchcraft, Rapley conveyed that it was not only these political issues that convicted Urbain but rather that a combination of both political and social factors was the key to the guilty verdict. The author argued that protection of social status directly related to the downfall of Urbain Grandier . Rapley proved this by theorizing that it was due to Grandier's scandalous involvement with a socially significant town figure's daughter, and that

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Approximate Word count = 2911
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History