An event of this nature occurred in the 12th century in Russia. All the women of the village were taken from their homes and executed as witches. Similarly, in in Lagendorf, all but two women of a small village were accused of witchcraft. As early as the 14th century, the devil was considered a political enemy of the state. Witches swore their allegiance to him rather than to the king.
In addition to this political aspect, false accusations of witchcraft also made up an important element of European witch hunts. People were forced by government officials to accuse people, often innocent people, of practicing witchcraft.
The following passage describes the thoughts of Johannes Junius, a man accused of witchcraft in They know nothing but good of me. They were forced to say it, just as I myself was. Women were seen as inherently evil and sexual, and therefore possible targets for the devil.
There were strong ties between the idea of witchcraft and sexuality. If a woman did not exhibit purity and innocence, she revealed her connection with evil. The book Malleus Maleficarum became the guidebook for prosecuting witches in Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It too emphasized the sexual nature of witchcraft.
This work by Pope Innocent VIII told stories of men losing their genitalia and consulting with female witches for treatment. It also explained why women were more likely to become witches. The ancient fear of contact with the devil and sexual deviance made witchcraft a sensitive spot for Europeans, including the Puritans. Deeply embedded fears led to the paranoia which provoked witch hunts on both sides of the Atlantic.
In Europe and in the colonies one accusation turned into many, and one trial became an unremitting hunt. February: Physicians conclude that the influence of Satan is responsible for the girls' strange behavior. March 1: Tituba confesses to practicing witchcraft.
March: Other townspeople begin accusing many different people of witchcraft. March Rebecca Nurse is denounced as a witch. March Elizabeth Proctor is denounced as a witch. Only Abigail Hobbs confesses. May George Jacobs, Sr. Margaret confesses that both she and her grandfather were witches. May Increase Mather returns from England. The judgments are based on various kinds of intangible evidence, including supernatural attributes.
June 2: First session of Court of Oyer and Terminer occurs. Bridget Bishop is the first suspect to be pronounced guilty and condemned to death. June Bridget Bishop is hanged in Salem in the first official execution of the Salem trials. July: The Andover witch hunt begins. July Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Good are executed. August John and Elizabeth Proctor are tried and condemned.
October 8: After the executions of 20 people, Thomas Brattle writes a letter of criticism to Governor Phips. Phips orders that reliance on intangible evidence is banned.
November The Superior Court is created to try the rest of the witchcraft cases in May, No one is convicted in these trials. This site also includes descriptions of the Puritan church's policy of membership.
It also makes distinctions between English and American Puritans. This site explores the history of these European persecutions, and explains the reasons for such suspicions.
It also describes how suspected witches were characterized and investigated. Related Department:. American History. Technical Approach:. Display Name:. How could we be certain that she could see the executions, as she testified, from any of the nearby houses?
GIS mapping was the best way to tackle both questions. It was high enough to be seen prominently, but not too high to be reached by cart. Once they identified the site, Peter Sablock, a geologist at Salem State University, conducted extensive analysis using ground-penetrating radar.
There was also no trace of a gallows structure, confirming that victims were most likely hanged from a tree, as was customary at the time.
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