DBQ-The Witch Craze

Identify and analyze at least tether major reasons for the persecution of individuals as witches in Europe from the late fifteenth through the seventeenth centuries. From the Middle Ages until the 1700s, a fevered witch craze was spread through protrude Europe. These witches were isolated, persecuted and when found, worryingd and consequently effaceed. With most of the population intemperate in southeastern Europe, over 100,000 witches were tried.It was believed that these individuals practiced black magic and were associated with the D black, but a single circumstance becomes clear when studying the witch craze and that is that there is a certain type of individual that was singled out as a witch. The legal age of of accused witches were female(Witchcraft Statistics, medico 2) and mostly over 50 years old(Witchcraft Statistics doc 3). The witch craze concentrated on elderly women who more often than not were from a mortified social class (Witchcraft Statistics, doc 1. ).A co mbination of religious beliefs, social prejudices and cultural precepts helped heighten the already uncontrolled witch persecution throughout Europe. The witch craze spread throughout the common-people of Europe, this due to a strong keep going to the persecution of witches advertised by prestigious religious leaders. Although Europe was in a state of religious ruckus due to the warf atomic number 18 between Catholic and Protestant faiths, Catholics and Protestants alike contributed to the spread of the witch craze. Martin Luther preached that sorcerers or witches are the Devils whores who steal milktorture babies in their cradles (Religious Opinions, doc 3). John Calvin, another influential religious leader said We are therefore taught by these examples that we rich person to wage war against an uncounted number of enemies (Religious Opinions, doc 4). Pope Innocent VII, issued The Witch Bull in 1484 where he stated it was the peoples obligation to get rid of witches and he gave inquisitors the right to exercise their office of inquisition and to proceed to the correction, imprisonment and punishment of witches(Religious Opinions, doc 4).The strong religious belief that witches were instruments of the Devil and that it was societys duty to eliminate them, along with the confusion and anger that was brought about by the Catholic-Protestant conflict was a contributing divisor to the persecution and killing of many a(prenominal) another(prenominal) witches. While the preachings of influential leaders against the witches was a main promoter of this witch craze, the fact that witches were women was an important factor within the faith.For centuries women within the Catholic church were seen as inferior to men and more susceptible to sin. both(prenominal) the Protestant and Catholic leaders believed that women, speci all in ally elderly women were and easy pray for the devils deeds. The stopcock of Witches a witch-hunting manual created by Dominican monks they stated that women are more likely to be witches because they are more credulous, impressionable and passionate(Religious Opinions, doc 1).Once again due to the longstanding discrimination against women within the Catholic faith, the monks were probably heavily influenced by their faith which led them to speak so badly of women. The social prejudices held by European society about women made it easier for the persecutors to pinpoint them as lesser, crazy and most of all guilty. The belief that women, specially elder women were weak and inferior is an important factor to understand why they became the target free radical for witchery charges.The thought that elderly women were impure and more corrupt was spread by the lawmakers that made cerebrate between the physical body and witchcraft. A legal conference that took place in 1618 announced that The bodies of gray persons are impure, which when theybecome diseased with malice are used by the Devil to carry out his evil deeds(Scientific Opinions, doc1). This shows a clear societal prejudice against old people, specifically older women, but not everyone hold there was a link between age and corruption.Belgian physician Johan Wier, while still showing despise towards women and asserting their inferiority with their melancholic nature and small brains, concludes that although women were prone to depression the causes of their diseases were precisely uncanny(Scientific Opinions, doc2). Although not all society was convinced about the existence of witches, the fear and prejudice against older women was a contributing factor to the persecution of this specific group.The last, and probably bullyest factor, that contributed to the fever of witchcraft was the fact that the European culture was characterized by potently superstitious beliefs. The belief that witches could control men and do a variety of spells, is derived from the belief in the supernatural that most of the European population had. Th omas Ady, as describing the feelings of an English householder explains that he cryeth out of almost poor free neighbor that he or she hath bewitched him(Testimony of Accused Witches and Eyewitnesses, doc3).The testimony of a authorise midwife at Dillingen, Germany confessed her witchcraft and admitted that she often had a good roast or an innocent child, kill immature infants at birth (Testimony of Accused Witches and Eyewitnesses, doc1). The report of Churchwardens in Gloucestershire England, reported that Alice Prabury in our parish that useth herself suspiciously in the likelihood of a witch, taking upon her not only to help Christian people of diseases (Testimony of Accused Witches and Eyewitnesses, doc4).All of these documents have in common the belief in evil women guided by the devil to preform witchcraft and unexplainable and horrible deeds such as eating young children, or bewitching young men. The fact that these happenings were not only attributed to the supernatur al, but where held as in all true, show the superstitious beliefs that so many held during the witch craze. These accusations were so serious that even those who were not guilty of anything ended up making neurotic confessions in the midsts of torture.The beliefs were held as such truth that these innocent individuals would most likely by the end of their torture end up believing what they were charged with. Some call me witch this they enforce upon me and in mathematical function Make me to credit it, cites the poem The Witch of Edmonton(Testimony of Accused Witches and Eyewitnesses, doc5). Innocent have I come into prison, innocent have I been tortured, innocent must I die wrote Johannes Junios to his daughter, clearly showing that many of these accusations were completely false(Testimony of Accused Witches and Eyewitnesses, doc 7).The combination of social prejudices, religious beliefs and cultural precepts helped spark the fire of a European witch craze that lasted over a cen tury and claimed thousands of lives. The main target of this witchcraft were poor elderly women who were easy to dispose of due to years of hatred, superstition and discrimination. The European witch craze is a frightening example of how easily mankind is corrupted by hatred and prejudice and is lead to leave rat any sense of compassion, decency and rational thinking.While modern day witch hunts have been left for the movies and books to recreate, a great deal of prejudice still exists in the society we live in. The targeting of certain weaker groups by a stronger majority sadly remains a part of 21st century society. The reality of human society is that hardly anyone is willing to go through the excruciating process of admitting they are wrong, or realizing that things like gender, age, skin-color or worship are not to be used as an excuse to harm others.