REASONS FOR WITCHCRAZE IN SOUTHERN GERMANY

Carolina

1532

- law code created under Charles V taught suggested justice was a local matter

significance of reformation and counter reformation

fear that devil was all around them

why did particularly regions in S Germany experience more prosecutions

- political and judicial authorities was fragmented - allowing panics to develop

- reformation and counter reformation increased the fear that the devil was all around them

- Carolina - 1532 law code created under Charles V suggested that justice was a legal matter

who was the prince bishop of Bamberg who caused prosecutions to rise

Johann Gottfried von Aschhausen - 1609

- brought in jesuits and ordered new ordinance about witchcraft, punishing anyone who practiced magic

when was the thirty years war

1618-1648

why did the thirty years war contribute to witch-hunting

- large armies would often devastate vast areas of southern Germany, towns were plundered for supplies and forced conscription of young men

- this alongside poor harvests and inflation led to a growing fear of witches

how was economic crises linked to witch hunts

- a number of trials made references to poor weather and poor harvests

what trials made references to weather and poor harvests

Lorentz Kempffen Seebauer's wife in 1629, accused of suggesting a frost should ruin the harvest

- at confession of Katharina Merckhlerin in 1629, there was mention that she was involved in plot to freeze and destroy crops

Bamberg trials peaked when?

in 1629 - when frost destroyed the wine crop

why were prince bishops putting people on trial

- little ice age alongside poor harvests

- coincided with debts from the war leading to high taxes

- therefore in the interest of the prince bishops to put people on trial for witchcraft to prevent the return of poor weather

why was there inflation

supply of money serious problem

- silver imports began to delineate

- less silver content in coins, their real value declined

when added to poor harvests this left to rapid price rises

- crisis was blamed on magic and witchcraft

what economic causes were mentioned in confessions

- Margaretha Eissmennin admitted coin clipping because of poverty and turning to the devil

- Kunigudta Rindtern entered into a relationship with a rich man to avoid poverty; this was seen as a pact with the devil

- Marageretha Guussbacherin necame a prostitute to a rich man to avoid poverty

Judgement of the causes

- combination of religious tensions, poor weather and the impact of the thirty year war that lead to an increase in persecutions, whilst it was the political structure of the region that made this possible