Witch Hunts and

Executions
By: Kevin Gao, Justin Ledinh, Rushabh Mehta

Background History
Earliest known signs of the first major
witch hunts started around 15th
century and lasted until late 18th
century
The witch-hunts of early modern
Europe took place against a
backdrop of rapid social, economic,
and religious transformation.
Most witch hunts were actually
exploited by unscrupulous and
dishonest people for political ends.

Why women?
The women who seemed most independent
from patriarchal norms who were most
vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft.
European cultural assumptions: women were
inherently weaker and more susceptible
to either superstition or to the Devil's
influence.
Women were considered to be instruments
of Satan

The beginning of witch hunts: Pope Innocent

VII and The Reformation
1484 Pope Innocent asks two friars to find
common signs of witchcraft and publish a
report
Malleus Maleficarum says that witches were
powerless in the face of god
As The Reformation starts to take place, so
does witch executions
Most trials took place in England, France,
and Germany

The Peak of Witch Hunts

Took place in late 16th, early 17th
century
Called the burning times
1580- Publishment of De la
Demonomanie des Sorciers by Jean
Bodin increases persecution
Contrary to belief, secular courts tried
witches

Signs of a witch
Witches weight= a stack of bibles
Moles, birthmarks, scars, or extra nipples
Talking to themselves
Witch cakes
Floating test
Dancing naked

Executions (how did they happen)

Witches were mostly hanged

Some were burned or drowned
Many others died during interrogation and torture
Often times, many women admitted to being witches
to escape torture

Executions: Torture
THE TURCAS- a device used to rip out the
nails of either a male or female, then the
tender spots of the finger.
THE GAROTTE- the victims neck was
fastened to a pole then a long sharp drill
was slowly drill into the back of the victims
neck slowly puncturing their vertebrae
causing a slow painful death.
DUNKING STOOL- mainly women, would be
strapped to a chair and be constantly
dunked in a cold river

Decline in witch hunts

Witch-hunts ended in late 17th-18th centuries
Many people feared they were going too far and that innocent
people were being executed
Witch trials became more rigorous as higher standards of evidence
were being demanded.
People also became sceptical about so-called spectral evidence
Last witch in England was executed in 1684. Other countries soon
followed
People did not necessarily stop believing in witches, but they
definitely did not believe the more ludicrous stories about them

Death Toll
80% of executions were women
About 150,000 females were killed during the trials while
about 70-75000 males were killed
Most concentrated executions were in the Holy Roman
Empire, Poland, and France

Sites
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<http://departments.kings.edu/womens_history/witch/>.
Jones, Adam. "Gendercide Watch: European Witch-Hunts." Gendercide Watch. Adam Jones, 2002. Web. 28 Oct. 2013. <
http://www.gendercide.org/case_witchhunts.html>.
Robinson, B. A. "The Burning Times: The Christian Extermination of Witches and Other heretics." Religious TOlerance. Ontario Consultants
on Religious Tolerance, 24 Mar. 2012. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. <http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_burn2.htm>.
"WITCHHUNTS IN REFORMATION ERA." WITCHHUNTS IN REFORMATION ERA. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013.
<https://www2.stetson.edu/secure/history/hy10302/witchhunts.html>.
Lambert, Tim. "A History of Witch Trials in Europe." Local Histories. N.p., 2012. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.localhistories.org/witchtrials.html>.
Linder, Douglas. "A Brief History of Witchcraft Persecutions before Salem." A History of Witchcraft Persecutions. N.p., 2005. Web. 30 Oct.
2013. <http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/witchhistory.html>.
Morrison, Danny. "A Brief History of Witch-Hunts." Danny Morrison. N.p., 2008. Web. 26 Oct. 2013. <http://www.dannymorrison.com/?
page_id=229>.
Powell, Shantell. "Torture Methods of Witches." Punishment, Torture, and Ordeal. N.p., Oct. 2009. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.
<http://www.oocities.org/witchcraft_truth/torture-and-execution.html>.
"Death Toll." Monstrous. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013. <http://witches.monstrous.com/death_toll.htm>.
Stokes, Laura. "Historian Investigates the History of Witchcraft Prosecution." Humanities at Stanford. Stanford University, n.d. Web. 30
Oct. 2013. <http://humanexperience.stanford.edu/witchcraft>.
Conradt, Stacy. "The Quick 10: 10 Ways to Identify a Witch." Mental Floss. Mental Floss, 1 Mar. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
<http://mentalfloss.com/article/24090/quick-10-10-ways-identify-witch>.