AP European History
28 October 2010
Document Based Question
In Europe during the 1400's to the 1600's, over 100,000 men and women were being accused,
tried and persecuted for suspicion of witchcraft. Most of the persecuting was in the countries of
Germany, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Poland and France. There was many reason for why both
men and women of all ages were being accused, including one of the most common reason, prejudice
towards the poor and elderly, followed by the fear of being influenced by the devil and the greed and
envy of the wealthy and the most powerful people. Each of these were some of the most common
reasons for witchcraft in Europe.
During the couple of centuries that the witch hunt lasted, one of the most common reasons for
people during this time to be accused of witchcraft was the prejudice against the poor, elderly and more
specifically women. For example, Walpurga Hasumannin of Germany was a poor, elderly widow who
was accused for supposedly roasting and eating innocent children and sucking the blood out of kids.
Fearing her life, she was tortured, pressured into confessing, and burned with the help person testifying
against her who was under the death sentence. Along with Walpurga, in 1563 Alice Prabury was also
accused. Through the church, people starting seeing that she was taking upon her the task of helping
the diseased human and animals and that she was talking to herself. Many believed that she was using
the devil's powers to do good for others. Johan Wier and Fulbecke both have scientific opinions about
the accused witches. Older people were easier for the devil to take control over being very
unprotecting. Wier observed that when women start to become older, their brains become smaller and
melancholic nature is stronger then younger, and they start to believe what people are telling them
which makes them confess to things that they have never committed. Women of all ages, but mostly old
were being targeted for multiple reasons as witches and killed for confessing things that they never did.
Another big issue that people were being accused of was the fear of being influenced by the
devil. In The Witch Bull, Pope Innocent felt that the possessed were using the Catholic religion to help
remove their impediments. Since Pope Innocent was the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, his
ideas were shared with all Christians. Not only adults though suffered the fear of the devil, many young
people were scared to death of what they believed could happen. A young peasant boy from Germany
feared that he saw the devil and hell everywhere he turned. He wrote this in his diary, expressing his
fear and concern on what he was seeing everyday during the witch hunt in Germany. John Calvin, a
preacher during the time of the Protestant Reformation, said the he was seeing not just one possessed
person, but armies of them at war against us. He feared the devil and that they will have to be ready for
war against the demons that possess the people around him. Being the leader of the Calvinist religion,
his ideas about the witch craze and demons were spread all through Europe. The devil had a very big
influence over the Europeans, causing fear and concern in their everyday lives, hoping that they soon
wouldn't become one of the demons like the people that they were seeing around themselves.
Both political and economical distress during he witchcraze was also a common reason for
people to be accused. Many people were becoming very greedy and envious of those of the higher
classes, the wealthy nobles, and started targeting them as witches. Johannes Janius was the mayor of
Bamberg, Germany in 1528 and like many others was accused of witchcraft. He knew of the torture
that was ahead, and what all they would do to one person to make them confess. In a secret letter that
was smuggled out of jail where he was held, he poignantly wrote his innocence and goodbyes to his
daughter before he was pressured and tortured to confess to something the he had not done. The Canon
Liden of Germany saw how a majority of the people being accused were wealthy, upperclass men.
Liden being the church official, his view was changed on the witch craze that was no longer religious
based, but had become more menacing and prejudice towards the wealthy, political leaders of their
time.
During the 15th through 17th century in Europe, thousands of women and men were persecuted
for witchcraft of many different reasons. Being one of the most effective reasons, the prejudice towards
old women it shaped the picture of our view on “witches” today. The religious fear of being influenced
by the devil and the greedy and envy of the powerful and wealthy nobles were also some of the most
commonly used reason to accuse Europeans of witchcraft.
