Considered a dark period of medieval Europe, the Witch Hunt is one of the most harrowing and complex events in human history. This period caused many people to lose their lives due to the combination of social hysteria, the influence of religious beliefs and legal pressures. Thousands of people were accused of being witches and sentenced to death for reasons such as having red hair, having freckles, or using medicinal herbs. Witch hunts generally took place in the form of burning or lynching people who were thought to be witches.
These events caused people to lose the chance to prove their innocence in the name of justice, in an atmosphere full of fear and paranoia. This dark side of the Middle Ages has left an unforgettable mark on human history not only at that time, but also today. Salem witch trials It is only a part of this process, and in fact, witch hunts have produced much more terrible and widespread consequences.
As in every society, some superstitions exist and unfortunately, sometimes some people are unfairly punished because of these beliefs. However, the so-called witch hunt is not an event that occurs only as a result of the misdirection of a few ignorant people. This process, which started in Europe in the 15th century and spread to the colonies, continued until the end of the 18th century, where tens of thousands of people, usually Allegedly women made a deal with the devil caused them to be killed.
witch hunts, it wasn’t just a situation where there were cruel people killing people. In fact, women who collected herbs, gave birth, or went against social norms were often declared witches. Moreover, when you were a woman, it was almost impossible to prove that you were not a witch. The confiscation of witches’ property was another dimension of this tragedy. It is necessary to understand the details of this horrific crime against humanity by taking a closer look at what witch hunts are and in what period they took place.
What is a Witch Hunt? During Which Period Did It Happen?
Witches are people believed to have supernatural powers in many beliefs, religions and cultures. Although they are usually identified with women, male witches can also exist. There is a distinction between good and evil among witches; While some are believed to be good, the majority are believed to be evil. This is based on the belief that they acquired the supernatural abilities they possess because they often served malevolent beings.
Witches are mentioned in sacred texts, especially in the Bible. Since ancient times, people have believed in the existence of witches and people with similar supernatural abilities. However, these people were generally thought to use black magic to harm people. More frightening beliefs, such as witches worshiping and collaborating with the devil, emerged in the 15th century.
The events called witch hunts started with the spread of these beliefs in society. People suspected of being witches were tried and were often judged to be witches and killed in gruesome ways. Witch hunts that started in Europe spread to the colonies and continued until the 18th century. It continued for three hundred years. It is estimated that approximately 60 thousand people were killed during this period on the grounds that they were witches.
The Emergence of the Witch Hunt Incident
The belief that witches have supernatural powers and cooperate with the devil emerged in the 1420s. Witch hunts in this period were mostly events involving accusations at the local level, but did not turn into a large-scale witch hunt. However, the real events started with reform movements. in 1517 Martin LutherWith ‘s stance against the church, the church’s position as an undisputed power until that day began to be questioned. This situation brought with it a problem: People who had not had the opportunity to read the holy book before now began to read the book, but they did not have the necessary infrastructure to interpret this text.
BibleLocated in the Old Testament and the New Testament Exodus from Egypt In the 22nd chapter of the story, verse 18, the following statement is found: “You will not tolerate a witch living.” This is the only reason why thousands of people were burned on the grounds that they were witches, in the name of religion. This sentence was used as the basis of witch hunts.
The Period When Witch Hunts Were Most Intense
Between 1560 and 1630 was the period when witch hunts were most intense. During this process, witch trials were established in countries such as England, Spain, Germany, Scotland and Sweden. Later, this witch hunt spread to the British colonies of America and events such as the Salem witch trials took place.
One of the figures associated with the witch hunt is Matthew Hopkins‘truck. Although Hopkins was actually a lawyer, he wanted to earn more money. At that time, one-third of the property of people accused and executed as witches belonged to the trial judge, and two-thirds belonged to the state.
In 1644, Hopkins yourself in england “Chief Witch Hunter” He declared as. With many witch tests and torture methods he developed, he caused more than 230 people to be executed on the grounds that they were witches until 1647. The disturbing tests that Hopkins performed were so brutal that it became almost impossible for a person accused of witchcraft to prove their innocence.
Signs of Being a Witch
Throughout history, people have been accused of being witches for many different reasons. Events like having red hair, having freckles, having or having an abortion, something bad happening to your neighbor. Also, being a good midwife, being barren, suddenly gaining wealth, being extremely religious, old age, ugliness, being very thin, having a birthmark, having many moles, laziness, having clouds over your house, yawning during religious ceremonies, medicinal herbs. to use or cure the sick Reasons such as these are the points where women are particularly targeted.
Women have generally been considered weak and easily fooled by the devil ever since the myth of Eve eating the forbidden apple. A woman who surrenders to the devil is often accused of entering a man’s body. Men killed during witch hunts were often charged with aiding and abetting. Of course, there were women who were thought to be in league with the devil and were accused of witchcraft.
Tests Applied to Person Accused of Witchcraft
Throughout history, various methods have been used to determine whether a person accused of witchcraft is innocent or guilty. One of the most popular among these methods was the needle prick test. A needle or knife is inserted into the woman’s body and it was checked whether there was any blood coming out. If there was no blood, it was thought that the place had been absorbed by the devil and the person was considered a witch.
In another method, a cauldron full of boiling waterAn object would be thrown at her, the woman would be asked to pick it up with her hand, and it would be decided whether she was a witch or not based on the healing process of her hand. In another unusual method, the woman was tied and thrown into the water. If she floated to the surface, she was considered a witch, while if she couldn’t and drowned, she was considered innocent.
Perhaps one of the most interesting tests woman’s weightIt was about. The court determined the woman’s estimated weight, and if the weighed woman weighed less than the stated weight, it was thought that she had sold her soul to the devil. If it was heavier than stated, it was considered that the devil was inside and the person was branded a witch. So, the gist of these tests was that once accused of witchcraft, the person was considered a witch.
The Salem witch trials took place between 1692 and 1693 in the American state of Massachusetts, which was a British colony at that time. Although it attracted attention with its reflections in cinema and popular culture, only 29 people were actually killed in these trials. The Salem witch trials can be considered a much smaller reflection of the events in Europe, especially when we consider that thousands of people were killed in the witch hunt trials in Germany and Switzerland.
