Son Tran

Period 412 September, 2011

Account for the growth and decline the Witch hunt from 1500 to 1650

A. Women at that time was considered lower class then men• Their highest called was supposedly marriage• Expected to be subordinate of their husband• A Christian wife was suppose to be obedient, silent, and

pious• Unmarried women were scorned for upsetting God’s

divine order

B. Witchcraft• A witch was viewed as a person who communicate with the

Devil to consult with him and to do his biding.• They were thought to have to ability to mysteriously harm

people or animals.• Described as old women.• Witchcraft was considered heresy because it was thought to be

an act of Devil worshiping.• Between the 1500s to 1650s, 100,000 to 200,000 people were

tried for witchcraft, and 50,000 to 100,000 of them were executed.

C. Causes of the Witch hunting• The religious wars made the church extremely paranoid.• Socioeconomic factors such as disease, wars, and famine made

the atmosphere unstable• Unmarried women were highly suspected

They where thought to have high sexual urges then men does.• Cats were also burned because of the church’s belief that they

are associated with the Devil. Ironically, this made the situation worst since there were no cats around to kill the rats the carries

the fleas containing the Black Death.

D. Consequences of the Witch hunt• Significantly affect the history and status of women.• The death of many innocent women.

The witch-hunt erupts violently from the 16th to the 17th due to the unstableness of Europe

Witch-hunting continues up to the 18th century, as fear of the Devil and his powers were weakened among the educated ruling classes