European witch hunts
E49780
European witch hunts were a series of widespread persecutions, trials, and executions of people accused of witchcraft across Europe from roughly the 15th to 18th centuries, driven by religious, social, and political tensions.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Malleus Maleficarum | 0 |
| Salem witch trials | 0 |
Statements (64)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
historical phenomenon
ⓘ
persecution campaign ⓘ treatise on witchcraft ⓘ witchcraft trials ⓘ |
| hasCause |
Counter-Reformation
ⓘ
Reformation ⓘ belief in diabolism ⓘ climatic hardship during the Little Ice Age ⓘ confessional conflicts ⓘ economic insecurity ⓘ fear of witchcraft ⓘ misogyny ⓘ patriarchal social structures ⓘ political tensions ⓘ religious tensions ⓘ social tensions ⓘ |
| hasDeclineCause |
Enlightenment philosophy
ⓘ
surface form:
Enlightenment skepticism
changing theological views on witchcraft ⓘ judicial reforms ⓘ rise of scientific explanations ⓘ |
| hasEffect |
executions of accused witches
ⓘ
legal codification of witchcraft crimes ⓘ long-term cultural fear of witchcraft ⓘ mass trials for witchcraft ⓘ persecution of marginalized people ⓘ social fragmentation ⓘ strengthening of state judicial power ⓘ |
| hasEndTime | 18th century ⓘ |
| hasEstimatedDeathToll | tens of thousands of people ⓘ |
| hasLegalBasis |
Carolina (Constitutio Criminalis Carolina)
ⓘ
local witchcraft statutes ⓘ |
| hasLocation |
Europe
ⓘ
Massachusetts Bay Colony ⓘ |
| hasNotableWork | Malleus Maleficarum ⓘ |
| hasPeakPeriod |
17th century
ⓘ
late 16th century ⓘ |
| hasRegionWithIntensePersecution |
Holy Roman Empire
ⓘ
Scandinavia ⓘ Scotland ⓘ Swiss cantons ⓘ |
| hasRegionWithRelativelyFewTrials |
Ireland
ⓘ
Italy ⓘ Portugal ⓘ Spain ⓘ |
| hasRelatedEvent | Salem witch trials ⓘ |
| hasStartTime | 15th century ⓘ |
| hasTheme |
conflict between popular belief and elite culture
ⓘ
control of religious orthodoxy ⓘ gendered violence ⓘ state formation and social discipline ⓘ |
| influenced | European witch hunts ⓘ |
| mainParticipants |
Catholic Church hierarchy
ⓘ
surface form:
Catholic authorities
Protestant authorities ⓘ ecclesiastical courts ⓘ local communities ⓘ secular courts ⓘ |
| mainVictims |
elderly people
ⓘ
poor people ⓘ social outsiders ⓘ women ⓘ |
| publicationDate | 1487 ⓘ |
| uses |
ordeals and tests for witchcraft
ⓘ
spectral evidence in trials ⓘ torture in interrogations ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.