The History Of Witches
BuzzFeed Unsolved Network・2 minutes read
Witch hunts throughout history were driven by fear and led to false accusations, forced confessions, and numerous deaths, with methods like torture and skin pricking used to identify witches. Various notorious cases like those of Matthew Hopkins, Mother Shipton, and Katharine Mon Voison involved accusations, trials, torture, and executions, perpetuating misconceptions about witchcraft and its practitioners.
Insights
- Witch hunts throughout history, fueled by fear and misinformation, resulted in the unjust torture and execution of thousands of individuals, primarily targeting women based on societal prejudices and stereotypes.
- Notable figures like Matthew Hopkins and the Bellman employed brutal methods like skin pricking to identify witches, emphasizing the use of torture to extract confessions, perpetuating a cycle of violence and persecution against those accused of witchcraft.
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Recent questions
How were witches identified in historical witch hunts?
Witch hunters like Matthew Hopkins and The Bellman identified witches through torturous methods like skin pricking and their own special techniques to determine guilt. These methods often led to false accusations and forced confessions, resulting in the trial and execution of many individuals suspected of witchcraft.
What were common traits that led to accusations of witchcraft?
Traits like being older, unmarried, or combative often led to accusations of witchcraft, with women more frequently targeted than men. These characteristics, along with societal fears and misunderstandings, fueled the witch hunts and trials that resulted in the persecution of many innocent individuals.
How many people were estimated to have been tortured or executed under suspicion of witchcraft in Western Europe?
Between 1484 and 1750, an estimated 200,000 people in Western Europe were tortured or executed under suspicion of witchcraft, with 40,000 to 60,000 individuals ultimately executed. The widespread fear and paranoia surrounding witchcraft during this time period led to the unjust persecution of thousands of innocent people.
What were some famous cases of accused witches in history?
Notable accused witches in history include Mother Shipton, Agnes Sampson, Alice Kittler, Florence Newton, and Katharine Mon Voison. These individuals faced trials, torture, and executions based on accusations of witchcraft, highlighting the widespread impact of witch hunts and the tragic outcomes for those accused.
What were some common misconceptions about witchcraft?
Common misconceptions about witchcraft include the belief that all witches are Wiccan, worship the devil, require specific tools like wands, belong to covens, are all women, and that being a witch is hereditary. These misconceptions have historical ties to the witch hunts and the control of women, perpetuating harmful stereotypes and misunderstandings about the practice of witchcraft.
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Summary
00:00
"History of Witch Hunts and Executions"
- Witch hunts were fueled by fear and misunderstanding, leading to false accusations, forced confessions, and tumultuous deaths.
- Matthew Hopkins, a notorious witch hunter, claimed to have encountered six witches in Manningtree, leading to the trial and execution of over 300 witches between 1644 and 1647.
- Hopkins identified witches through torturous methods like skin pricking, using his own special techniques to determine guilt.
- The Bellman, hired by Puritan magistrates in Newcastle around 1650, executed over 120 women using similar skin pricking methods to identify witches.
- The "Hammer of Witches," published in 1486, detailed how to identify and prosecute witches, promoting torture as a means to gain confessions.
- Between 1484 and 1750, an estimated 200,000 people in Western Europe were tortured or executed under suspicion of witchcraft, with 40,000 to 60,000 executed.
- Traits like being older, unmarried, or combative led to accusations of witchcraft, with women more often targeted than men.
- The Salem Witch Trials in 1692-1693 saw over 200 people accused, 20 executed, including Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba, with no admissions of witchcraft.
- Mother Shipton, born in 1488, was a famous prophetess who foretold many events, including the Great Fire of London and the defeat of the Spanish Armada.
- Agnes Sampson, Alice Kittler, and Florence Newton were accused witches in Scotland and Ireland, facing trials, torture, and executions based on accusations of witchcraft.
15:43
Witchcraft Accusations and Misconceptions in History
- Katharine Mon Voison, a fortune teller in France, was accused of leading a satanist and abortionist group, creating potions and poisons for her mostly female clients to poison husbands or rivals, including the mistress of Louis XIV.
- Mon Voison was burned at the stake in 1680, while other offenders were imprisoned for life after escaping execution.
- In Sweden in 1667, a boy accused Gertrude Svensdauter of witchcraft after she allegedly cast spells and flew on a cow to a black sabbath with the devil, leading to her execution.
- Common misconceptions about witchcraft include the belief that all witches are Wiccan, worship the devil, require specific tools like wands, belong to covens, are all women, and that being a witch is hereditary, with historical ties between witch hunts and controlling women.
