Witchcraft in the Middle Ages
The Persecution of Witches and Witch Trials in Medieval Times
Jun 15, 2009
In an age of superstition and comparative lack of understanding of science, those accused of practicing witchcraft could be blamed for any number of problems, including bad weather, the failure of crops, an outbreak of illness and any kind of bad luck.
Witches in the Middle Ages
At various periods during the Middle Ages, witches were persecuted and even executed on the flimsiest of evidence. Any woman could be accused of witchcraft and even someone who tried to help others, such as a healer who used plants and herbs in her cures, could be accused and put on trial for witchcraft, a trial which could cost her life.
The fear of witchcraft reached its height in Western Europe during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the time of the witchcraft trials. Those seen to be practising witchcraft were believed to be in league by the devil and panic from the public caused the authorities to hunt down and punish those practising witchcraft.
Witchcraft Trials in Medieval Times
To most modern eyes, a medieval trial for witchcraft would seem grossly unfair. Not only could a person be accused with very little proof, the majority of those accused were found guilty and many were tortured in order to extract a confession. Some of the accused were simple people without the experience and knowledge to defend themselves against the authorities in court.
The first official medieval trials of witches took place in the fourteenth century, after these trials were officially sanctioned by Pope John XXII in 1320.
The Hammer of the Witches
In 1486, Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, published Malleus Maleficarum, or The Hammer of the Witches, a book which, although banned by the Catholic Church, was published widely and used by some witchcraft courts.
The book set out to claim that witches did exist, and that they were usually women, who were weaker and easier for the devil to tempt. The book also attempted to show magistrates how to find and prosecute these witches. The book asserted that the devil did his evil work with the help of witches and gave advice on how a witchcraft trial should be conducted, stating that if the accused didn’t cry during her trial, she was definitely a witch.
Witches were tortured either during their trial and/or, as part of the prescribed punishment if a court found them guilty. If condemned to death, a witch could face hanging or being burnt at the stake.
Sources:
Burton Russell, Jeffrey Witchcraft in the Middle Ages [Cornell University Press, 1984]
Ankarloo, Bengt The Middle Ages [University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002]
