Witch Hunting happened between 1400-1800 starting at the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Modern Age in the West Alpine area (Switzerland, South East of France, Northwest Italy), which at the time were part of the Germanic Holy Roman Empire AKA First Reich. The greatest geo-historical-political events of these times were the Fall of Constantinople (Byzantium/Eastern Roman Empire), Renaissance, Invention of the Printing Press, Scientific Revolution, Protestant Reformation and Wars of Religion, Great Navigations and Colonialism, rise of Absolutism and Enlightenment.The stuff that matters here is the Renaissance, specifically the German/Northern Renaissance in the occult aspect, but before talking about that, I want to contextualize the Italian Renaissance from which it was based: Marsilio Ficino, apprentice of the Neo-Platonic Byzantine scholar Gemistos Plethon, was responsible for translating the Corpus Hermeticum, the main texts of Hermetica literature, at the request of Cosimo de' Medici, a member of the powerful Italian royal banker family, House of Medici, that had several popes. Marsilio Ficino's apprentice was Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, he mixed the Corpus Hermeticum with the Jewish Qabbalah, thus creating the "Christian Cabala", which would serve as the main philosophy of secret societies such as the Rosicrucians, Freemasonry, etc... more later.Before that, they influenced German occultists such as Johannes Trithemius, Johannes Reuchlin, Johann Weyer, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim Paracelsus, etc... But the most important of them on this occasion is Johann Georg Faust, whose mysterious stories of pact with the demon Mephostophiles, night flights and the magical invocation of spirits, added to his mysterious death, made him the model of a black magician.
According to tradition, Faust is often associated with the town of Knittlingen in the Baden-Württemberg region of southwestern Germany, close to the largest Witch Hunt area in Europe. Which is ironic since the majority of those judged were women.>The long-standing but socially restricted concern over the ritual magic used by clergy and courtiers began to extend to more popular, non-literary forms of harmful magic or sorcery. Increasingly all magic came to be redefined as heretical in that it was all believed to be inspired by an ominously encroaching Devil. Grimoires, with their complex ceremonial invocations and conjurations, were no longer the only keys to demonic magic. With heretical magic unbound from the book, women increasingly became the focus of authoritarian concern. Before 1350 over 70 per cent of those accused of magic in the courts were men, but during the early Fifteenth century between 60 and 70 per cent were female. Here lies the origin of the witch hunts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when across much of Europe the legislature ensured that the poor, the illiterate, and women supplanted the privileged, erudite male owners of grimoires as the greatest magical threat to Christian society. (Grimoires: A History of Magic Books by Owen Davies, page 43)The biggest witch hunts in Germany happened in Catholic parts of the country, headed by Catholic clergymen.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch_trials_in_the_early_modern_period#Peak_of_the_trials:_1560–1630>Johann Georg Fuchs von Dornheim, Prince-Bishop of Bamberg, 1000 kills>Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn, Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, 900 kills>Johann von Schönenberg, Archbishop of Trier, 368 kills>Balthasar von Dernbach, Prince-Abbot of Fulda, 250 kills
>>16551108I forgot to say that the greatest witch hunting manual was written by a German:>The Malleus Maleficarum, usually translated as the Hammer of Witches, is the best known treatise purporting to be about witchcraft. It was written by the German Catholic clergyman Heinrich Kramer (under his Latinized name Henricus Institor) and first published in the German city of Speyer in 1486. Some describe it as the compendium of literature in demonology of the 15th century. Kramer blamed women for his own lust and presented his views as the Church's position. The book was condemned by top theologians of the Inquisition at the Faculty of Cologne for recommending unethical and illegal procedures, and for being inconsistent with Catholic doctrines of demonology>The Malleus calls sorcery heresy, which was a crime at the time, and recommends that secular courts prosecute it as such. The Malleus suggests torture to get confessions and death as the only certain way to end the "evils of witchcraft." When it was published, heretics were often sentenced to be burned alive at the stake and the Malleus suggested the same for "witches." Despite, or perhaps because of, being condemned by the church, the Malleus was popular for a time among laypeople>The book was later revived by royal courts during the Renaissance, and contributed to the increasingly brutal prosecution of witchcraft during the 16th and 17th centuries>Heinrich Kramer (c. 1430 – 1505, aged 74-75), also known under the Latinized name Henricus Institor, was a German churchman and inquisitor. With his widely distributed book Malleus Maleficarum (1487), which describes witchcraft and endorses detailed processes for the extermination of witches, he was instrumental in establishing the period of witch trials in the early modern period
Seduction is a form of rape because it falls under a violation of the rational will by sexual meanslegalize the murder of women (again)
>>16551166beyond based
>>16551103This is a misleading image. England's numbers are much lower than it suggests and it groups the entire HRE together as 'Germany' when there was great variance internal to the HRE and the Netherlands (owned by Spain for much of this period) had a relatively high number of trials, encouraged by the Inquisition.
>>16551103Any historical examples of "wizards"? >Inb4 Newton
>>16552002>England's numbers are much lower than it suggestsThis happens because England hanged their witches instead of burning them there, as continental European countries did.>In England, witch trials were conducted from the 15th century until the 18th century. They are estimated to have resulted in the death of perhaps 500 people, 90 percent of whom were women. The witch hunt was at its most intense stage during the English Civil War (1642–1651) and the Puritan era of the mid-17th century>Normally, people sentenced for witchcraft in England were executed by hanging. An exception was made when the person had committed another crime for which people were executed by burning at the stake>and it groups the entire HRE together as 'Germany' when there was great variance internal to the HREThe region of Germany that had the most cases of witch hunts during the 16th and 17th centuries was the region of Bavaria (which was next to the West Alpine area, the core of witch hunt), especially in the areas around Bamberg, Würzburg and Nördlingen. >and the Netherlands (owned by Spain for much of this period) had a relatively high number of trials, encouraged by the InquisitionWrong. Germany, Scandinavia, Scotland and Switzerland had their fair share of Witch Trials during this time and the Netherlands saw the fewest witchcraft trials of any country. >The witch trials in the Netherlands were among the smallest in Europe. The Netherlands are known for having discontinued their witchcraft executions earlier than any other European country. The provinces began to phase out capital punishment for witchcraft beginning in 1593. The last trial in the Northern Netherlands took place in 1610
>>16553364>Basque Witch Trials, the largest witch trial in history>the Spanish Inquisition examines thousands to rout out witchcraft>comes to the decision that there was no witchcraft but just stupid people being dumb and larping>like 7 people killed for heresy thoughThis is a dark comedy waiting to happen, /his/.>The Center and the Periphery>Nearly seventy-five percent of witchcraft trials took place in Germany and of those 480 occurred in Southwestern Germany between 1562 and 1684. During the various trials Southwestern Germany was experiencing the confusion and chaos of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. Making the situation more difficult, Germany was not at this point a unified nation. “The judicial system was highly decentralized…and the degree of central control within each province varied widely.”>The country was divided into various principalities and this lack of entralized leadership and no control over a regions governing body meant a prince or a bishop could burn as many people as they saw fit. Between 1562 and 1684 238 men and 1,050 women were accused. Eighty-two percent of those accused and tried were women. The trials in Southwestern Germany were characteristic examples of central trials. Many of the towns were undergoing social shifts because of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation.>Women were the primary victims with men and children only being accused occasionally. Many of the women accused were poor until some of the trials got more out of control and accusations worked their way up the totem pole. The Holy Roman Empire executed around 45,00 people for witchcraft. The trials in Southwestern Germany lasted from 1562-1684 and killed between 1,000 and 1,500 people out of about 3,000 trial >The Basque trials were almost completely different from the trials in Southwestern Germany. These trials lasted from 1609 to 1614 and in that time more than 7,000 witches were accused and examined
>>16553392>Of those only eleven people were executed, five burned in effigy and six burned alive. The number of people executed is the biggest difference between the Southwestern German trials and the Basque trials. However, there are other differences that are not as glaringly obvious that set the Basque trials apart. The first being the accusers and the accused. In the Basque trials children were the largest group of people accused and they in turn accused hundreds of other people>Adult men and women were accused at nearly equal rates, but the child witches of the Basque trials are unique. Most witchcraft trials end almost immediately after children become involved. When children became the primary focus for a part of the Basque trials the number of accusations skyrocketed because scared children were being interrogated by their priests and parents. However, due to the Edict of Grace all of the people accused escaped with a scolding and little other punishment>The next difference was how the Basque trials were handled. In Spain the Spanish Inquisition had sole jurisdiction over cases of superstition, including witchcraft. This meant the Basque trials had a system of checks and balances in place that would prevent any one figure, secular or otherwise, from gaining too much power over those accused. The inquisitors managing the Tribunal at Logroño, Becerra, Valle, and Salazar, all reported to a council in Madrid who reported to the Inquisitor General who, technically, reported to the King of Spain>The Inquisition kept tight control and ensured no one would blow the Basque trials out of proportion and create the large violent hysteria that enveloped countries like Germany. Because of the inquisition the Basque trials had no unsanctioned arrests, torture, or deaths. People actually preferred to be interrogated by the Inquisition rather than local authorities because the Inquisition was less cruel in this case
>>16553410>>The Inquisition kept tight control and ensured no one would blow the Basque trials out of proportion and create the large violent hysteria that enveloped countries like Germany. Because of the inquisition the Basque trials had no unsanctioned arrests, torture, or deaths. People actually preferred to be interrogated by the Inquisition rather than local authorities because the Inquisition was less cruel in this caseWeird. Moshe Goldenberg and Nigel McCucksmith told me that the Spanish inquisition was the most blatant example of religious cruelty in the west.
>>16553410>Another factor that helped keep the Basque trials under control were the skeptics. Figures like Inquisitor Salazar and the Bishop of Pamplona Antonio Venegas de Figueroa pointed out the flaws in the Basque trials especially in the evidence and the confessions. Salazar’s reports explained that he had tested much of the evidence himself and the results were inconclusive should not be used in a trial>Salazar also wrote that he thought the confessions were false and were the result of fear inspired by local authorities, priests, and family members. Due to these factors, the number of deaths, the Inquisition, the child witches, and the skeptics, the Basque trials are part of the periphery. These elements of the Basque trials are uncommon, especially when compared to other witchcraft trials>Akelarre is the Basque term meaning Witches' Sabbath (the place where witches hold their meetings). Akerra means male goat in the Basque language. Witches' sabbaths were envisioned as presided over by a goat>Akelarrenlezea: a large cave of Zugarramurdi, (Navarre). The witches met actually outside the cave in the place of Berroskoberro. Some say that the goat talked to its worshippers from a hole in the stone outside the cave. Inside the cave, the widest part measures 120 metres. The river of "hell" crosses along the centre of the cave. It has been eroding the floor of the cave for centuries, the ceiling of the cave is already 12 metres high. A limestone oven from the eighteenth century remains inside the biggest cave. Farmers found it useful to take more harvest out of the limestone oven. We can access another cave from the biggest cave: the cave of the Akelarre. The name of the cave derives from the meadow at the entrance of the cave. Akelarre used to be celebrated there. Further the river follows a deep gorge called "the cave of the witches"
>>16553535>Tomás de Torquemada was of Jewish descentIt's a myth. Like Cervantes being Jewish.
>>16553482Fun Fact: The inquisitor who succeeded in expelling the Jews from Spain Tomás de Torquemada was of Jewish descent. When he learned that Queen Isabella was thinking about losing them, he accused the Spanish nobility and royalty of selling Christ for silver coins (like Judas) was his pressure that brought the Jews out of Spain.>expels average Jews out of Spain>not the elite ones>exporting jewry to the northern parts of Europe>comes from the House of Trastámara (a Cadet branch) bunch of bastards that killed the rightful king>his advisor himself had converso ancestors>he met the young Princess Isabella I, and the two immediately established religious and ideological rapport. For a number of years, Torquemada served as her regular confessor and personal advisor. He was present at Isabella's coronation in 1474, and remained her closest ally and supporter. He even advised her to marry King Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469, in order to consolidate their kingdoms and form a power base he could draw on for his own purposes>died rich by the getting the possessions of all the people he got killedYou are living a jewish fantasy.
>>16553539>It's a mythHernando del Pulgar, who revealed that Tomás de Torquemada's uncle, Juan de Torquemada, had an ancestor, Álvar Fernández de Torquemada, who was married to a first-generation conversa, had access to the archives of the Spanish Crown and was never brought to trial for defamation even though he was a converso descent too and lived at the same time as Torquemeda.>Hernando del Pulgar (1436 – c. 1492), also spelled as Fernando de Pulgar, was a Castilian royal secretary, historian, and writer. He first served in the administration of Enrique IV of Castile and later was appointed by Isabel I to serve as her royal chronicler. His best known work, Claros varones de Castilia, presents a series of biographical sketches of some of the most important nobles and prelates of the era>Hernando del Pulgar was born around 1420 at Pulgar in Castile. His father, Diego Rodriguez de Toledo, was a court scribe. Pulgar was educated in the chancery of John II. Starting around 1457, he was a secretary in the chancery for Henry IV. After the accession of Isabel he became a councilor of state, was charged with a mission to France, and in 1480 was appointed the official chronicler for the queen. From that point on, he spent his time on the preparation of historical documents. He is said to have died of old age around 1490 in Villaverde, a village near Madrid>His Crónica de los Reyes Católicos, was wrongly ascribed in the first printed edition (1545) to Antonio de Nebrija, who had composed a Latin history based on Pulgar's manuscript. This work is commonly supposed to be propaganda for his patrons, Catholic Monarchs of Spain Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. Nevertheless, it is often critical of their policies and admonitory in its insistence that monarchs need to respect moral and spiritual ideals
>>16551103All those g*rman witch hunts were during the 30 year war, a notoriously religiously chaotic period were the uneducated Protestants and Catholics were running around like savages. It all started because Catholic started blaming and burning witches and everyone around, from different religions and countries bought into the panic and started blaming witches. A good example of G*rman savagery.>>16552002Did you even read the link on Basque trials? It says right there the inquisition didn’t believe in witches and dismissed the trials, where the few burnish were done by peasants induced to panic by trials happening in nearby France. Again, Catholic and Orthodox official stance was that witches were superstition and many kings, Charlemagne, the Visigoths in Spain, outlawed witch burnings as early as the 8th century. Only becoming a thing again with the Reformation.
