Witchcraft in Europe Essays

Submitted By suzie_na
Words: 902
Pages: 4
Open Document
It was during the Middle Ages in Europe when the belief of witchcraft began. It was a time where there was not much knowledge of diseases and when a lot of crops failed. People were dying from illness or old age, but others made themselves believe it was witchcraft that was the cause (Olsen 1). Even in modern day, there are still people who are seen as witches along with superstitions. The fear and jealousy of the powers that witches had, and the Christian beliefs along with their fear that witches were associated with the Devil are what eventually led to the major witch hunts in the fifteenth century. Witches were believed to have many powers, which made it easier for other people to blame the misfortunes on witches. Pressure was put on witches to nurse the mother and to help her and her child to be in good health during childbirth. If they failed to heal their patients, they were seen as witches (Levak 12). The witches also had the pressure of not letting all the crops in the village fail. They had the power to create a hail storm to destroy anything (Levak 1). Although witches had the power to do physical damage, they did not have the power to convince the village people of the good in their powers. People feared witches because of all the power they had to destroy their villages. A lot of people were jealous of each other, which also led to witch hunts. If one person had more success than another with their crops, they were accused of being a witch even though they weren’t. People accused others of witchcraft instead of believing in and seeing the unfairness of life (Lewis 12). It was easier to blame They were jealous that their crops were not flourishing as their neighbors would. People also believed the poor were witches and blamed them if tragedies happened because they did not have much compared to the rich (Levack 14). People went to all measures to accuse people of being witches instead of accepting the way of life. Despite all the negative powers witches were accused of containing, there were also positive beliefs. People believed some witches had greater intentions, including telling the future and creating medicines to help cure diseases (Saari 1). Although there were some positive beliefs, that did not help the witches when theologians began to believe that witches were in threatening covens, whose violations were leading them against the religion (Levack 3). The starting belief that witches were associated with the Devil led to it becoming a crime because of the Christian beliefs. Christians believed all types of magic came from the Devil (Levack 2). They did not want people converting to other religions or being atheists, so they used their power to try and change the beliefs of others. Christianity was the main religion during the Renaissance in Europe, so the Christian church officials had the most power to convince others in believing in what they believed. Christians despised the Devil, and witches were thought of as the Devil’s worshippers, so they believed all witchcraft should be ended before any major consequences occurred in the world (Russell 23). People assumed everything said about witches were true since the Bible itself said it was (Olsen 3). Followers of God fought against witches because God fought against the Devil, and witches worshipping the Devil (Compton 3). Christianity had a huge impact on the accusations of women being witches. The people
Show More

Related Documents: Witchcraft in Europe Essays

Witchcraft In The Early Modern Era

large scale witch-hunts and trials across Europe. During this period the classification of a witch changed, and the attitude towards those who practiced witchcraft shifted away from the medieval ideas of white and black magic, to a vision that all magic not given by god, must have come from Satan there therefore be evil. The way that witchcraft was brought to the attentions of the courts, and the way it was punished varied greatly across Europe. Witchcraft reached its height in different countries…

Words 1920 - Pages 8

witchcraft essay

Course: History and Politics Title: Why did all groups in pre-modern society believe in witchcraft? Why did all groups in pre-modern society believe in witchcraft? The Early Modern Period saw the start of a craze in which tens of thousands were executed for witchcraft. The perpetrators of this crime, which we now perceive to be largely fictitious, were primarily women. The activities which the alleged witches engaged in had two branches; one being maleficia, which was the…

Words 2084 - Pages 9

History Of The Witch Trials

trials. The witch hunt in Europe lasted for about 270 years (from approximately 1480 to 1750) and around 50,000 people total were killed during that time, even though over 100,000 people were tried for the crime witchcraft. Originally the witch hunts were organized by religious officials to make sure that people feared of challenging the church. Three-fourths of all the people that were killed were women, although in some countries, the amount of men tried for witchcraft were almost 60% (for that…

Words 1540 - Pages 7

Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

Witchcraft The Salem Witch Trials is a big historical event in the 17th century relating to Witchcraft. The Salem Witch Trials started in the spring of 1692. A hysteria had gone throughout Massachusetts about people being possessed by the devil. Over 150 men, women, and children were accused, September 1692. As many were puzzled on this topic, other people had come up with theories. Some believed smallpox epidemic caused Witchcraft and others believed it was caused by a fungus ergot showing symptoms…

Words 382 - Pages 2

Salem Witchcraft In The 1600s

that women and sometimes men,could bewitch a child.They also thought that the ¨witches¨ gave their loyalty to the devil,so they could bewitch girls in salem village.Throughout the 1300s to the end of the 1600s witchcraft was very popular in europe.Throughout the Salem witchcraft trials witchcraft became less and less popular.Witchcraft. It is a very simple word with a deep meaning and history. The first two people Exodus and Leviticus who disapproved of witches witches around 560 B.C. with the quotes…

Words 382 - Pages 2

Witchcraft Chapter 1 Summary

Through each of these texts, readers gain a deeper understanding of the ideas of witchcraft that formed in Europe over time. While all these readings help gain a deeper understanding, they all also have their own specific dynamics that emphasize the readings. These dynamics range from women and the power they had or lack at the time, as well as more unique approaches to witchcraft. Similarly, many of these dynamics have to do with where a family fits into the trials. For some, this involves the social…

Words 1384 - Pages 6

Essay on Witch FRQ

Witch FRQ Nate Sommerfield Although the frequency and severity of witch hunts varied across Europe, widespread misogynistic attitudes and the influence of the Catholic Church caused a general increase in witch hunting; by 1650 however, the Scientific Revolution and the end of religious conflict brought about a large decline in such events. Misogyny in Europe was extremely common at the time. Women were believed to be inferior, and this effected witch hunts in a couple ways. First, it meant that…

Words 532 - Pages 3

The Great Witch Craze: The Early Medieval Ages

Witch Craze. Conducted across early modern Europe and the early European colonies in North America between the 15th and 18th centuries, trials sparked by the belief that Satanic witches were operating as an organized body as a threat to Christendom. Various acts of torture were used as coercion to force out confessions out of the witches and perhaps even to reveal their co-conspirators. The interrogation even got out of hand as the Pope declared witchcraft to be “crimen expectum”. In other words,…

Words 401 - Pages 2

Salem Witch Trials Research Paper

the form of very strict ideals, including the belief that women should be submissive, uneducated, and silent. As rumors and accusations of nonconformity began, they gained yet another similarity with Europe- the witch hunt craze. In the 1690’s, the Salem witch trials sparked a wave of fear of witchcraft and nonconformity, which influenced stereotypical gender roles for future generations.…

Words 794 - Pages 4

Atlantic Slave Trade and White Europeans Essay

the age of European imperialism. The Europeans had the advantage of being industrialized resulting in Africa becoming colonized by Europe. During the age of imperialism, the industrial revolution was also taking place. Europe lacked natural resources; Africa had the resources that Europe needed to be successful in industrialization. According to Captain Lugard Europe was looking for new for new markets because the old markets were being closed due tariffs, growth of completion between nations, and…

Words 774 - Pages 4