The early modern period, was a time plagued by large scale witch-hunts and trials across Europe. During this period the classification of a witch changed, and the attitude towards those who practiced witchcraft shifted away from the medieval ideas of white and black magic, to a vision that all magic not given by god, must have come from Satan there therefore be evil. The ways witchcraft occurred, and the ways it was dealt with varied greatly across Europe, as did the peaks of witch activity in individual countries. The witch craze was at its height in Britain during the 16th and 17th centuries, although the case of Britain is different in many ways to other countries in Europe at the time. Britain was not typical to Europe. There were no
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This is the subject of a book written by Alan MacFarlane in 1970. In Sussex, there were 33 indictments of witchcraft from 1560-1700, resulting in 1 execution. In Essex during the same period; a county which seemed identical in ways of belief and social structure and which shared the same laws; there were 473 indictments and 82 executions. The case of Essex seems exceptional in terms of numbers, but the general pattern of how witchcraft occurred seems similar to other cases in Britain. There were few cases of witches recorded as having sex with the devil, which was one of the characteristics of a witch outlines the mallus malficarum. Most cases were where the accusers were the victims, just as in the rest of Britain. Although the concentration of trials for witchcraft was greater, the foundations of the accusations was the same as in most areas of …show more content…
There were few mass trials, and accusations were brought about from below, and not above. Although witchcraft did have a part to play in society, it was not a major part of how people lived their lives. Cases of witchcraft in Britain were sporadic and a novelty, largely publicised when they did occur. The laws in Britain were very different to those in other parts of Europe, including its neighbour Scotland. Although the model of what a witch was, was the same in all of Europe, Britain showed a notable lack of consorting with the devil, a key part of European witchcraft cases. Witchcraft was never fully demonised in Britain, and it remained a crime, no different to any other serious
This is the subject of a book written by Alan MacFarlane in 1970. In Sussex, there were 33 indictments of witchcraft from 1560-1700, resulting in 1 execution. In Essex during the same period; a county which seemed identical in ways of belief and social structure and which shared the same laws; there were 473 indictments and 82 executions. The case of Essex seems exceptional in terms of numbers, but the general pattern of how witchcraft occurred seems similar to other cases in Britain. There were few cases of witches recorded as having sex with the devil, which was one of the characteristics of a witch outlines the mallus malficarum. Most cases were where the accusers were the victims, just as in the rest of Britain. Although the concentration of trials for witchcraft was greater, the foundations of the accusations was the same as in most areas of …show more content…
There were few mass trials, and accusations were brought about from below, and not above. Although witchcraft did have a part to play in society, it was not a major part of how people lived their lives. Cases of witchcraft in Britain were sporadic and a novelty, largely publicised when they did occur. The laws in Britain were very different to those in other parts of Europe, including its neighbour Scotland. Although the model of what a witch was, was the same in all of Europe, Britain showed a notable lack of consorting with the devil, a key part of European witchcraft cases. Witchcraft was never fully demonised in Britain, and it remained a crime, no different to any other serious