Witch hunts in medieval Germany were a dark and brutal period in European history. During the late 15th and 16th centuries, thousands of people, mostly women, were accused, tortured, and executed for allegedly practicing witchcraft. The exact reasons behind the mass hysteria and persecution of witches is complex and multifaceted, but some factors that contributed to the phenomenon include religious beliefs, social upheaval, and societal fears. One of the main driving forces behind the witch hunts in medieval Germany was the widespread belief in the supernatural and the power of the devil. The Christian Church played a significant role in perpetuating these beliefs, promoting the idea that witches made pacts with Satan and used their powers to harm others. The fear of the devil and the desire to protect the Christian faith fueled the witch hunts, as people feared that witches were undermining the Church and causing spiritual harm.
Sporadic acts of sorcery and harmful magic were known since antiquity, but only in Medieval Europe the idea of a sort of demonic conspiracy, perpetuated by sorcerers and witches against society, became common lore. Frequent storms, long winters and cold summers caused famine and starvation and so the demoralized peasants, demanding for fast actions, forced the authorities to prosecute the supposed culprits. The accusation of weather magic begins to play an important role in contemporary witch trials, even if at first it doesn't seem that it was taken too serious.
he pushed the weather back to the highest mountains, where no cock crows, nether hay is mown, no ox lives and no flower blooms, so it could do no harm, and so the storm became just a weak rain. 1532 Constitutio Criminalis Carolina by Emperor Charles V declared that harmful witchcraft should be punished by death by fire; witchcraft that resulted in no harm was to be punished otherwise.
The fear of the devil and the desire to protect the Christian faith fueled the witch hunts, as people feared that witches were undermining the Church and causing spiritual harm. Another factor that contributed to the witch hunts was the social upheaval that occurred during the medieval period. This was a time of significant economic, political, and religious change, which created a sense of uncertainty and instability in society.
Medieval Witch Hunts Influenced by Climate Change
August 3, 1562 a devastating thunderstorm hit central Europe, damaging buildings, killing animals and destroying crops and vineyards. The havoc caused by this natural disaster was so great, so unprecedented, that soon an unnatural origin for the storm was proposed.
By David Bressan on November 3, 2014 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Reddit Share on LinkedIn Share via Email Print AdvertisementAugust 3, 1562 a devastating thunderstorm hit central Europe, damaging buildings, killing animals and destroying crops and vineyards. The havoc caused by this natural disaster was so great, so unprecedented, that soon an unnatural origin for the storm was proposed. More alarming was the impression that it was not the only climatic anomaly at the time.
The Little Ice Age was a period of climatic deterioration, characterized in Europe and North America by advancing mountain glaciers and prolonged periods of rainy or cool weather. The term was first used by climatologist F. Matthes in 1939 to describe the most recent glacial deposits, younger than 4.000 years, in the Sierra Nevada. Later the term was adapted to a period spanning from the 16th to the 19th century (1250/1500-1850), to describe both climatic as cultural changes.
These difficult times also see the emergence of a new kind of superstition, that witches could "make weather" and steal the milk from the (starving) cows.
So we read in Bavarian and Swiss chronicles:
"1445, in this year was a very strong hail and wind, as never seen before, and it did great damage, [. ] and so many women, which it's said to have made the hail and the wind, were burned according to the law."
"Anno 1626 the 27th of May, all the vineyards were totally destroyed by frost […], the same with the precious grain which had already flourished.[…] Everything froze, [something] which had not happened as long as one could remember, causing a big rise in price.[…] As a result, pleading and begging began among the peasants, [who] questioned why the authorities continued to tolerate the witches and sorcerers destruction of the crops. Thus the prince-bishop punished these crimes, and the persecution began in this year..."
Fig.1. Witches cause a hailstorm, illustration from the "De Laniss et phitonicis mulieribus" [Concerning Witches and Sorceresses], by the scholar Ulrich Molitoris, published in 1489. Curious to note that the first image showing such a scene was published in a book arguing against witchcraft, as most scholars believed that only god was able to change the order of seasons or the weather (image in public domain).
Sporadic acts of sorcery and harmful magic were known since antiquity, but only in Medieval Europe the idea of a sort of demonic conspiracy, perpetuated by sorcerers and witches against society, became common lore. Frequent storms, long winters and cold summers caused famine and starvation and so the demoralized peasants, demanding for fast actions, forced the authorities to prosecute the supposed culprits. The accusation of weather magic begins to play an important role in contemporary witch trials, even if at first it doesn't seem that it was taken too serious.
Still in 1595 the peasant Christoph Gostner, accused to have caused storms in Tyrol, argued that,
"he pushed the weather back to the highest mountains, where no cock crows, nether hay is mown, no ox lives and no flower blooms, so it could do no harm, and so the storm became just a weak rain."
Asked then why, if he had this power, he didn't prevent another severe storm, he replied that he was so "drunk that night" that he couldn't possibly have used his magic.
However soon enough witch trials, also concluding with death sentences, became common in Swiss, Austria, Poland, Germany and France. A peak was reached between 1560-1660, also coinciding with two major cold climatic phases in the Alps between 1550-1560 and 1580-1600. Last witch trials occurred 1715-1722 in Bavaria, in Swiss (1737-1738) and in Germany (1746-1749). The last European witch was executed in the year 1782, soon after (1850) glaciers started to retreat and the climate became warmer.
Fig.2. The European witch hunt occurred between ~1430-1780, with peaks in 1560-1580, 1600-1618 and 1626-1630, may triggered by an unstable and cool climatic phase, the Little Ice Age (~1250-1500/1850).
However even if we accept a role of climatic fluctuations in the history of witch hunts, it is important to note that social factors played by far the larger role. In regions with a strong government and legislation such trials were rare or nonexistent, even during climatic unfavorable phases. In rural areas, during political and social crisis, during war (the Thirty Years War in Germany occurs 1618-1648) also authorities were more willing to misuse sorcerers and witches as scapegoats. Finally in the 17th century, with the Age of Enlightenment, also the ideological, legislative and social support for witch trials soon eroded and the persecutions stopped.
GLASER, R. (2008) : Klimageschichte Mitteleuropas - 1200 Jahre Wetter, Klima, Katastrophen. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt, 2. Auflage: 264
JÄGER, G. (2008): Fernerluft und Kaaswasser - Hartes Leben auf den Tiroler Almen. Universitätsverlag Wagner, Innsbruck: 240
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)
My name is David Bressan and I'm a freelance geologist working mainly in the Austroalpine crystalline rocks and the South Alpine Palaeozoic and Mesozoic cover-sediments in the Eastern Alps. I graduated with a project on Rock Glaciers dynamics and hydrology, this phase left a special interest for quaternary deposits and modern glacial environments. During my research on glaciers, studying old maps, photography and reports on the former extent of these features, I became interested in history, especially the development of geomorphologic and geological concepts by naturalists and geologists. Living in one of the key area for the history of geology, I combine field trips with the historic research done in these regions, accompanied by historic maps and depictions. I discuss broadly also general geological concepts, especially in glaciology, seismology, volcanology, palaeontology and the relationship of society and geology. Follow David Bressan on Twitter
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However soon enough witch trials, also concluding with death sentences, became common in Swiss, Austria, Poland, Germany and France. A peak was reached between 1560-1660, also coinciding with two major cold climatic phases in the Alps between 1550-1560 and 1580-1600. Last witch trials occurred 1715-1722 in Bavaria, in Swiss (1737-1738) and in Germany (1746-1749). The last European witch was executed in the year 1782, soon after (1850) glaciers started to retreat and the climate became warmer.
The breakdown of traditional societal structures and the fear of chaos led to a search for scapegoats, and witches became an easy target. Accusations of witchcraft allowed people to blame their misfortunes on others and provided a sense of control and order in a chaotic world. Furthermore, the witch hunts were deeply rooted in societal fears and anxieties. Women were particularly vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft, as their supposed connection to nature and their association with traditional healers and midwives made them easy targets. Fear of female power and sexuality, as well as the unfamiliarity of women who did not conform to societal norms, fueled the accusations against them. In conclusion, the witch hunts in medieval Germany were a result of a complex interplay of religious beliefs, social upheaval, and societal fears. These factors led to the widespread persecution of thousands of people, primarily women, who were accused of witchcraft. This period of history serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of mass hysteria, prejudice, and the abuse of power..
Reviews for "The Persecution of Marginalized Groups in Witch Hunts in Medieval Germany"
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