Witch hunts were practiced throughout history from Europe to the New World, one of the most famous occurred during 1692. The settlement of Salem Village, Massachusetts, was in hysteria. Fear of the devil and witches overran the population. This was due to the pressures that were put on this Puritan community after the war between the British and French over the colonies in 1689. Also pressures from disease, and fears of attacks from the neighboring rival town of Salem Village, as well as attacks by Native Americans who were trying to push back settlement. Due to these pressures, the fear of evil and witches became the witch trials, in an effort for the people of Salem to try and protect themselves from the danger of the outside and the devil.
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One of the more famous witch hunts was the Trier Witch Trials which occurred in Germany from 1581-1593, where 386 people over 22 villages were burned alive for “sorcery”. In 1581, Johann von Schöneburg was appointed Archbishop of Trier, he ordered for the purging of three groups of nonconformists, the Protestants, the Jews, and witches, of all sexes and ages. In some cases an entire village were wiped out besides one person. It is also argued that the number of deceased was much larger due to lack of records in the rural areas. There were many other witch hunts that occurred in Europe, however there has never been a single recorded witch hunt as large and with as high of a death toll. Another infamous witch trial was the Paisley Witches which occurred in the town of Paisley, Scotland from 1696-1697 which resulted in six people being executed for witchcraft. Christian Shaw an eleven year old began displaying the classic symptoms of demonic possession. She blamed “a coven” of witches, which was a collection of people in the town and her personal servant. In the end seven people were arrested, one committed suicide in prison and the other six, were strangled and burned in June of 1697. This is yet another example of how one fear can take control of an entire community can cause a mass
One of the more famous witch hunts was the Trier Witch Trials which occurred in Germany from 1581-1593, where 386 people over 22 villages were burned alive for “sorcery”. In 1581, Johann von Schöneburg was appointed Archbishop of Trier, he ordered for the purging of three groups of nonconformists, the Protestants, the Jews, and witches, of all sexes and ages. In some cases an entire village were wiped out besides one person. It is also argued that the number of deceased was much larger due to lack of records in the rural areas. There were many other witch hunts that occurred in Europe, however there has never been a single recorded witch hunt as large and with as high of a death toll. Another infamous witch trial was the Paisley Witches which occurred in the town of Paisley, Scotland from 1696-1697 which resulted in six people being executed for witchcraft. Christian Shaw an eleven year old began displaying the classic symptoms of demonic possession. She blamed “a coven” of witches, which was a collection of people in the town and her personal servant. In the end seven people were arrested, one committed suicide in prison and the other six, were strangled and burned in June of 1697. This is yet another example of how one fear can take control of an entire community can cause a mass