Witchcraft Persecutions in Bavaria: Popular Magic, Religious Zealotry and Reason of State in Early Modern EuropeThis is a major, groundbreaking study by a leading scholar of continental witchcraft studies, now made available to an English-speaking audience for the first time. The author has compiled a thorough overview of all known prosecutions for witchcraft in the period 1300-1800, and shows conclusively that witch-hunting was not a constant or uniform phenomenon: three-quarters of all known executions for witchcraft were concentrated in the years 1586-1630. The book also investigates the social and political implications of witchcraft, and the complex religious debates between believers and sceptics.'..essential reading for all serious students of the subject.' Bob Scribner in English Historical Review |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
INVESTIGATING WITCH TRIALS AND LEARNED DISCOURSE IN SOUTHEASTERN GERMANY | 17 |
METHODOLOGY | 29 |
Moving toward a social history of witchcraft | 34 |
QUANTIFICATION IN SYNCHRONIC AND DIACHRONIC JUXTAPOSITION | 35 |
WITCH TRIALS AND POPULAR MAGIC | 65 |
A CRISIS OF THE LATE SIXTEENTH CENTURY? | 89 |
The wave of persecutions around 1590 | 115 |
CONFLICT OVER THE MANDATE AGAINST SUPERSTITION AND WITCHCRAFT OF 1612 | 269 |
PREDOMINANCE OF THE MODERATES IN BAVARIA | 291 |
TRIUMPH OF THE MODERATES IN SOUTHERN GERMANY | 310 |
Perpetuation through domestication 16301775 | 322 |
NOVEL POLARITIES AND STRUCTURAL CHANGES OF TRIALS | 331 |
THE LAST EXECUTIONS FOR WITCHCRAFT 174975 | 344 |
The final Catholic debate | 355 |
THE ONSET OF CATHOLIC DEBATE | 357 |
THE COURSE OF THE PERSECUTIONS | 121 |
TRIGGERING FACTORS | 158 |
MECHANISMS OF PERSECUTION | 183 |
THE BREAKDOWN OF CONSENSUS | 194 |
REGULATORY EFFORTS AT THE END OF THE PERSECUTIONS | 206 |
The struggle for restraint 160030 | 212 |
THE PROTESTANT SOLUTION | 213 |
THE CATHOLIC STANCE HARDENS | 216 |
FORMATION OF AN OPPOSITION PARTY IN BAVARIA | 230 |
LEARNED DEBATE 16014 | 247 |
Other editions - View all
Witchcraft Persecutions in Bavaria: Popular Magic, Religious Zealotry and ... Wolfgang Behringer No preview available - 1997 |
Witchcraft Persecutions in Bavaria: Popular Magic, Religious Zealotry and ... Wolfgang Behringer No preview available - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
accused already appeared arguments arrested Augsburg authorities Bamberg Bavaria began beginning believed Bishopric Catholic caused century Chancellor chapter confessions Councillor Court Council crime crisis debate denunciations Devil Dillingen discussion district Duke early edition Eichstätt Elector evidence example executioner executions existence Franconia Free City Freising further Germany Geschichte hand held Hexen Hexenakten Hexenprozesse HStAM Ibid important included individual influence Ingolstadt interest Italy Jesuit judge jurists Kempten later literature magic mandate Maximilian Munich opinion opponents party period persecution persons political popular possible present Prince procedure Prod Protestant punishment question reason records reference region reports result Riezler social sorcery sources southeast StadtA studies suspected suspicion Tanner territories tion took torture town University Upper Wagnereckh wave whole witch hunts witch trials witchcraft woman women Würzburg