HISTORY - The Witchcraze: Bamberg 1623-32

What was Germany part of in the 17th cent? What did this mean?

• The Holy Roman Empire

• Was made up of different political regions and religions eg: Calvinists and Lutherans as well as Catholics which led to conflict

How was the weather in Bamberg a cause of the witch hunts?

• There was a Little Ice Age, cold and wetter weather

• This led to storms, disease and crop failures

• In times of misfortune and crisis, witchcraft offered a good scapegoat

What was the religious context in Bamberg?

• Protestantism became more popular in 16th cent following the reformation

• Before this Catholicism had been secure in its position

• Catholicism, however, was attempted to be enforced but there was conflict between Protestants and Catholics

What was the importance of Bamberg?

• Principality of Bamberg founded in 11th cent

• Est to help the spread of Christianity and became a centre for the RC church

• It was ruled by a Prince-Bishop

• Saw the most persecutions of witchcraft in Germany

When was the counter-reformation?

2nd half of the 16th cent

What was the counter-reformation?

• Intended to regain territory and followers for the Catholic Church from the Protestants

• It was led by the prince-bishops and gained momentum through the Jesuit order that were furiously anti-protestant

• In turn Protestants thought Pope was Antichrist

• Catholics reintroduced shrines dedicated to saints

Who was victorious in the counter-reformation in Bamberg? What effect did this have?

• Catholics victorious

• In some Lutheran communes eg Marktzeuln the local protestants refused to renounce their faith

• When Catholic authorities tried to replace the ministers in office they were chased out with weapons and threats

Which prince-bishop prioritised the conversion of his protestant parishes and when?

• Prince-bishop Von Aschhausen converted his parishioners to Catholicism

• This was in 1609

What methods did Von Aschhausen use to convert his parishioners?

• Imposed fines for those that refused

• Limited the supply of wood to protestant parishes

• Opponents were sent into exile

• This increased tensions between the denominations

When were the first witch hunts and who instigated them?

• 1610

• Von Aschhausen issued new ordinance where anyone found practicing magic could be punished

• Claimed sorcerers and fortune-tellers were at work in Bamberg

Was Von Aschhausen’s ordinance effective?

• No

• Blasphemous practices still took place eg: spell casting

• Evidence found that Protestants were being harboured in same areas of suspected magic activity

• This enhanced connection between Protestantism and witchcraft

Why were trials brought to an end in 1616-19?

a group of moderates said that as war was breaking out in the neighbouring cities the authorities didn’t have time to chase phantoms

When was Prince-bishop Von Dornheim elected? What did he do?

• 1623

• Ordered that any opposition to witchcraft be removed and the hunts began again

When was the 30 years war?

1618-1648

What was the background to the 30 years war?

• Pre 1618 Bohemia was part of the Holy Roman Empire

• Protestants were allowed freedom to rule even those Emperor was Catholic

What led to the 30 years war?

• 1617 Ferdinand II became Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia

• 1618 he sent 4 catholic representatives to Prague (capital of Bohemia) to enforce Cath measures

• These reps are thrown out of a window by Protestant leaders (defenestration)

• WAR BEGINS

How did war lead to increased witch accusations?

• People opposed war as it caused famine due to soldiers taking all the food

• Villages and towns had few supplies and young men/boys were forcefully conscripted

• This along with crop failures and inflation led to increased fear of witches as = lots of misfortune

How did the war worsen Catholic hatred for those who didn’t comply with their beliefs?

• They thought that those who deviated from Cath practices were influenced by the Devil

• eg: women who were sexually deviant, derived from protestant belief that priests don’t need to be celibate

• eg: people who’s political views deviated from those of cath authorities

• eg: those who had a rep for healing/ sorcery and members of the upper-class that were unfairly targeted due to law from Von Dornheim allowing the confiscation of witch’s property

What was the impact of poor weather and crop failure on the Bamberg witch hunts?

• Want of the trials make reference to it

• The trials peaked in 1629 which was the year that destroyed the wine crop

• Coincided with the Little Ice Age where weather was colder and wetter = crop failure

Give an example of a trial where the weather impacted it?

• Trial of Lorentz Kempffen’s wife 1629

• Accused of suggesting that a frost should ruin fruit harvest

What other economic issues did the war bring?

• Lots of debt which increased to 800,000 florins by the end

• During the war authorities had to increase taxes hugely

How did the people contribute to witchcraft accusations?

Some petitioned to their overlords to get witches eradicated from their villages

How did inflation contribute to witchcraft accusations?

• Supply of money was an issue

• Silver from America stopped being supplied after 1610 so copper was used instead

• Gold florin reduced in gold content from 79% to 77% from the 15th cent to 1629

• Money losing value along with crop failure led to inflation but few understood economics so attributed this to witchcraft

How many people were executed for witchcraft in Bamberg 1623-32? What percentage of women were there?

• 600-900

• Women made up 72.7% of that

How did those accused in Bamberg deviate from the stereotype of witches?

• There were only 7 older women accused

• The majority of women accused for of marriageable age

• Average age was 33 ½

What age were most of the men who were accused?

Middle aged

What was the case of the 9 year old boy accused of witchcraft?

• He confessed without torture to a hyperbolic story of an encounter with a demon who encouraged him to learn witchcraft

• Story was related to many acts including destroying crops and killing livestock

• Said the demon helped him escape prison

• No record of this execution

Which high-status individuals were notable targeted as part of the witch trials?

• John Junius - mayor of Bamberg

• Hans Laughauns - mayor of Zeil, was put on trial and confessed after torture in 1628 that the Devil baptised him in 1611

• He also admitted he was responsible for destroying the wine crops 1615-16

What happened to the high-status citizen in Bamberg?

• Leading citizens in Bamberg and Zeil suffered

• 10 other members in mayor’s office were executed

• ½ those accused in Zeil were local officials or their relatives

What did people believe about public officials who didn’t persecute witches?

They were witches themselves

Which denomination seemed to be clearly targeted and what are the examples of this?

• Clear anti-protestant theme

• From 1628 parish records examined those failing to receive communion

• They were reported but some fled

• eg: Albert Pfersmann whose whole family had beene executed sought protection in Hungary

What was hereditary guilt?

Some were found guilty by family association eg: father accused along with wife and daughter

Give an example of hereditary guilt

• Georg Hann

• He questioned the trials following execution of wife and daughter in 1628

• He was suspected after petitioning against accusing women in Bamberg

• Execution of his family helped convince others he was a witch!

What methods of torture were used in Bamberg?

• Stretching

• Giving victims salty foods and denying them water

• thumbscrews

• Women’s hair burnt

Why was torture allowed in Bamberg?

• 1532 Carolina Law Code allowed for extensive range of torture devices to be used

• Judicial freedom given to prince-bishop

• Confessions obtained under torture were permissible in court thus many could be extracted

Who was John Junius? When was he arrested?

• Public figure

• Mayor of Bamberg for 20 years

• Arrested June 1628

Why was Junius suspected of witchcraft?

• Wife executed just before his arrest = implicated him

• Also implicated by Georg Hann and family who swore he’d seen Junius at a witch-gathering 1 ½ years prior

How does Junius respond to the accusations?

• He confesses but only through torture

• Says this in a letter to his daughter

• Was also pressed for names of his accomplices

What was the law in Bamberg regarding witch trials?

• Land could be confiscated

• Therefore this encouraged the accusation of the upper class

• Victims were also responsible for costs of travel of interrogator and torturers

• Families charged for every element of the process eg: raw materials

How did the witch-hunting industry grow then?

• They paid for themselves due to the wealthy upper-class victims paying for the court costs

• The longer the trials lasted the more money they got

Give two examples of wealthy victims and what they had to pay

• Wolfgang Hoffmeister

• He was treasurer of Bamberg and had 500,000 florins confiscated

• Georg Neudecker

• Had been mayor of Bamberg and was imprisoned for 3 years to squeeze as much money from him as possible

Why did this exploitation of the upper-class eventually lead to the demise of the trials?

There were only so many rich people in Bamberg

Outline the pattern of Bamberg confessions

• Initially asked how the accused became involved with the Devil, how they were made loyal and what gift he had given them

• Also asked them for a list of evil deeds committed eg: damage to crops/ harming people/ animals

• The worst deeds were sacrilege and blasphemy including stealing wafer from communion and desecrating it

How long was Von Dornheim prince-bishop for?

1623-33

Why was Von Dornheim associated with witchcraft so heavily?

• Nicknamed “witch-bishop”

• Believed that witch-hunts were religiously important as he fought for the counter-ref

How did Von Dornheim benefit from the witch hunts?

• The Treasury and his own wealth massively increased due to property confiscations

• He hired many to help him with it incl. his vicar Frederick Forner

What did Dornheim create to help defeating witches and when?

• Built witch-prison 1627

• Could hold 30-40 people at a time

• The walls of the prison were covered in Biblical text and he had to consent to the torture of the accused

Who was Frederick Forner?

• Deputy to Von Dornheim

• Became vicar 1609 and was involved in witch-hunting before Von Dornheim’s reign under rule of Vo Aschhuasen

What did Forner publish in 1625 in regards to witchcraft?

• 25 sermons on witchcraft and magic

• Argued Calvinists were magicians who taught lies about Catholics

• Occult practices were reported where Protestants were harboured

• The defeat of one evil force led to the rise of another so when Lutheran clergy were defeated, witchcraft emerged

• Outbreak of 30 years war caused witchcraft to increase

How did Forner justify the witch-hunts?

• Said the Devil had always prayed on our disobedience in order to offer false promises and false religions

• As each false religion died the Devil created another

• Believed that the closer we got to defeating the Devil, the more violent he’d get

• Thus if he uses violence its justified to use violence back on suspected witches

• Said more likely to find witches in Catholic territories as devil had already convinced protestants of his false religion

• So War was sign of success as it showed devil becoming desperate

What examples are there of scepticism towards the witch trials leading to 1630?

• People complained about the innocent being accused

• 1627 Von Dornheim said giving false testimonies would result in flogging, renewed 1628

Why were Von Dornheim’s scepticisms not valid?

• this was simply a reaction to protect his inner circle

• Many accusations had been made against Forner and others of Dornheim’s associates

• His proclamation against false testimonies was for selfish reasons, doesn’t show genuine scepticism

Briefly explain the case of Dorothea Flock

• Georg flock accused but fled so she was arrested

• Her family appealed to Ferdinand regarding her health and her baby’s health

• VD said there were no problems

• Ferd and pope told him to stop trial

• VD rushed the trial 1630 and she was beheaded in May and family sent letter to Ferd complaining as they hadn’t adhered to Carolina Law Code 1532

Why was the Imperial Chamber Court involved?

• 2 other escapees from the witch-prison had complained to Emperor Ferdinand

• He sent two of his representatives to defend the witch trials but these weren’t well accepted

• Ferd wrote to VD criticising him for continuing the trials despite an earlier warning

What was the case of Barbara Schwarz?

• She’d fled to Vienna after escaping witch-prison

• She petitioned Ferd and he ordered VD to send original trial docs for review

• When they arrived he sent strong letter to VD criticising his use of torture and disregard for law

• VD sent him copies of the transcripts not the originals and said no one had been arrested for witchcraft since June 1630

What were the complaints from Zeil?

• Ferd found in March 1631 25 people had been arrested in the meantime

• Relative of the victims of Zeil told him commissioners got richer through property confiscations

What was included in the letter from Georg Wilhelm Dumler?

• said many people had suffered due to torture and leaders of the commissions were easily led by false accusations

• Carolina Law Code permitte lawyer to represent the accused in court but in Bamberg this had been denied

• 1631 Ferd said he would punish those responsible for Bamberg trials, confiscation of property forbidden but VD stubbornly stayed in Bamberg

Who was Gustavus Adolphus?

Leader of the Swedish army

What was the impact of the arrival of swedish army?

• Army led by Adolphus

• Was protestant, entered war 1630

• Army went from 40-150k 1630-32

• Created resource and food issues as lots were required meaning army took from the countryside

What did the Swedish army do to VD?

• While he was still prince-bishop the trials continued

• Was forced to flee due to army - they were outside Bamberg 1632

• He took Cathedral’s treasure including 12 chests of gold and went to Austria

Impact of swedish army on life in Bamberg?

• Bamberg tired of fighting

• Population decreased 40% during war but was alr declining

Impact of army on Catholic and Protestant life?

• Bamberg was occupied by Protestants but catholics continued with little interference

Impact of army on witch hunting once VD had left?

• Declining pop

• Decimated farms

• Flight of VD

• Witch hunts were NO LONGER A PRIORITY

• No more use for witch prison and torture chambers