Topic 1- Witchcraze

what does non clerical mean

non religiously ordained (not paid in church)

non noble meaning

dont belong to aristocrats

define popular culture

everyone is apart of the SAME ONE culture

how does culture differ

• status

• geographical differences

• urban/rural

• gender

reasons for development of urban culture

• cities grew

• variety of economic functions, social interaction, high levels of literacy

• rich merchants and banks

• smiths, carpenters, bricklayers, builders, weavers, engineers

• young apprentices, servants and labourers

population in 1500

60k

population in 1800

1 million

population growth from 1500-1800

60k-1 million

public display of urban culture

• processions and pageants

• popes coronation and possesso

• solemn holy days

• sharing of news

• broadsides and ballads

private display of urban culture

• musical performances

• reading of books

• writing and sharing of letters

reasons for development of rural culture

• 90% lived in the countryside

• peasants were no longer serfs

• growing crops, raising life stock

• lower literacy

• less access to books

• homes and therefore gatherings smaller

• western europe - peasants paid rent

• eastern europe - peasants tied to land + forced to provide labour

% lived in the countryside

90%

was literacy high or low in rural culture

low

what happened to peasants in western europe

paid rent

what happened to peasants in eastern europe

peasants tied to land and forced to provide labour

public display of rural culture

• open air

• all hallow and all saints

• travels

• games

• animal fights

support for the argument : ‘there were a number of cultures in the town and countryside’

• literacy higher in urban areas

• class

• ballard

• social groups

• news spread

• sophisticated in urban

challenge for the argument : ‘there were a number of cultures in the town and countryside’

• religious activities

• processions

• sense of community

• guilds

name the 4 elite

• the clergy

• the nobility

• the bourgeoisie

• the learned elite

in 1500 the majority of parish clergy were men of a similar…

social and cultural level to their parishioners

elite: the clergy: protestants

went to universities

elite: the clergy : catholics

went to seminaries after council of trent

when did the church lose control over education, hospitals and poor relief

by 1800

what did the renaissance led for the nobles

cultivating a sense of style and adopting manners

who were the bourgeoisie

officials, lawyers and merchants who imitated nobles

what did the learned elite adapt ideas from

the scientific revolution , most learned people stopped believing in witches

elite culture: court masque and intermedio

• music, dancing, singing and acting

• stages design and lavish costumes

• could contain political themes

an example of a political theme in the elite culture: court masque and intermedio

the triumph of peace 1634

elite culture: plays

• william shakespeare

• ben johnson, caitiline

• lord chamberlains men

the withdrawal of the elites

• parents and festivals had been enjoyed by the elite

• however, by the 1600s, elite involvement in popular culture was declining

reasons for the withdrawal of the elite

• popular culture is dangerous to religious fabric of society

• damaging to social hierarchy

• protestants believed marking saint days as superstitious

• enlightenment dispelled many ideas

common culture: rituals

• church calendar

• obligatory attendance to church on sundays

• participation in saints days - venerating saints, processions

• weddings, communion

• spain 1575

when was there obligatory attendance to church

sundays

common culture: pageants and festivals

• villages celebrated 17 festivals a year

• break from monotony

• symbolic meaning

• guilds played a large role

• lords would host festivals

• caused concern

• social order was inverted and abandoned

• fear there would not be return to order

• festivals led to disorder

how did pageants and festivals impact social order

was inverted and abandoned, it caused concerns and festivals led to disorder

how many festivals did villages celebrate a year

17

who hosted festivals

lords

why did festivals lead to disorder

mock protests and real violence, especially against jews

who was the most discriminated towards in the 16th and 17th century

jews

common culture: carnivals

• christmas period

• the elected individual could do anything he wished

• participants mocked the clergy

• church leaders tried to suppress them

• protestants attempted to outlaw them

• popular culture disappeared in order to to satisfy law

• more conceptions than any other period

• feat of fools

• day of the boy bishop

• abbot of unreason

how did participants of carnivals mock the clergy

• putting vestments on the wrong way

• drinking in churches

• mocking the bible

did protestants successfully outlaw those in the carnivals

no, they were outnumbered

who ran the celebrations of misrule

young clergy

examples of the celebrations of misrule

• feast of fools - france and germany

• day of the boy bishop - england

• abbot of unreason - scotland

what qualities of women were seen as a threat to society

• domineering

• rebellious

• unfaithful

what did people do to women who were thought to have exceeded the bounds of acceptable martial behaviour

a crowd would gather and then march in procession to the house

what is skimmingtons

humiliation of women, going to their house and clashing pots and pans

what is the word used in england for the humiliation of women

skimmingtons

how were women punished in european countries

women who violated community standards were forced to parade through the streets bareheaded and bare footed

were prisons common

no they were a rarity

what was the favoured method of law enforcement

public displays and humiliation

was public humiliation common

yes, it was the favoured method of law enforcement

what happened to minor offenders

tied in a chair and wheeled round a parish or left outside their homes for people to ridicule

whats the ducking stool

victims were plunged into ponds, lakes or rivers in front of crowds

types of legal punishments

• ducking stool

• tied to a chair

• corporal punishment

• publically branded

• executions

what was white magic

ensure welfare of loved ones or crops

why was magic and superstition important to people

• provide a mechanism to cope with war, death, disease and disaster

• understand how god and the devil operated in the world

• belief they could understand the world through magic, prophecy and astrology and use magic to explain the inexplicable

• some could harness supernatural forces for good and evil

what did the church do with magical belief in society

took advantage of it

what was black magic

caused jar,

magic and superstition: the church

• praying to st margaret for help when in labour

• whipped a statue of a saint when they felt the saint had failed them

• praying to st job to ease suffering if you had the pox

• ring of church bells to prevent storms

• washing odies with holy water

• exorcism

• praying to st christopher for safe journeys whilst travelling

why did people pray to st margaret

for help when in labour

why did people pray to st job

to ease suffering if you had the pox

why did people pray to st christopher

for safe journeys when travelling

magic and superstition: superstition

• images and stiles

• garlic was used ti prevent evil spirits entering houses

magic and superstition: prophecy and astrology

• purchase horoscopes by ordinary men and women

• european monarchs had court astrologers

• stars and planets were demonic powers, influencing the world

what was lichtenbergers prognostications 1488

stars and planets were demonic powers, influencing the world. he compiled horoscopes - prophesied a series of catastrophes

what stated that stars and planets were demonic powers

litcehnbergers prognostication 1488

magic and superstition: hermética and alchemy

• hermética influenced theophrastus bombastus, believed small doses of particular chemicals could cure diseases

• hermes trismegistus wrote hemerica, book offered suggestions on how to exploit divine powers of minerals, plants and planets

who wrote a book called hermética

hermes trismegistus

what did the book hermertica by hermes trismegistus suggest

how to exploit divine powers of minerals, plants and planets

what did theophrastus bombastus believe about hermética

small doses of particular chemicals could cure diseases

magic and superstition: cunning folk and white magic

• priestly curses to protect crops

• chanting and mystical songs

support for the statement: the festival of misrule is consistently used as a means of social control by the authorities

• allowed people to escape everyday life

• form of moral regulation

• express communal values and customs

• safety valves for grievances

• used to reaffirm allegiance

• uphold the natural order instead of discussing rebellion

challenge for the statement: the festival of misrule is consistently used as a means of social control by the authorities

• cosumption of large amounts of alcohol increased hostility

• riots and rebellions frequently took placed

• part of popular culture

• priests began to be trained at seminaries

• moral reformers disapproved

How much did the population of London grow between 1500 and 1800?

60k → 1 million

Who would typically organised processions and pageants?

guilds

How was gossip and news often shared?

word of mouth , towncrier, church

What percentage of people lived in the countryside?

90%

Give 3 examples of religious festivals

saint dane

easter sunday

saint georges day

may day

What was a court masque? Give an example.

fancy ball eg venice festival, triumph of peace

Give examples of plays.

macbeth, hamlet, ben johnson, marlow

Give examples of key books.

demonology, book of the cortarte

Give me 5 about the celebration of misrule.

different name of it in different counties (feast of fools; abbot of unreason; day of the boy bishops) january/december, drinking, dancing, reversed social role

What does the term patriarchal mean?

when men are superior to women in society

What was a Skimmington (Charivari)?

ladle, banged on pots and pans, public humiliation

Give me 5 legal punishments in order of severity.

whipping, execution, hung, branding, ear chopped off, dunking stools

What Catholic institution tried to place stricter controls on public behaviour during the Counter Reformation?

council of trent

How did the Church offer safeguards against dangers?

holy water, praying, charms, ringing bellsC exoticisms, whip statues

Give me 3 examples of superstition.

garlic, black cat, tailsmen, charm

Who were cunning folk?

magic users, rural, old women; not married zx white magic

What is maleficium?

black magic

What was a diabolical pact?

pact with the devil

Give me 5 challenges to popular culture.

bishops and elite differed extremely, illiteracy rates, urban and rural differ more than one culture, counter reformation, moving to towns