European Witch Trials

European Witch Trials: Their Foundations in Popular and Learned Culture, 1300-1500 explores the intricate dynamics of witchcraft accusations and trials during the medieval period, seeking to untangle the roots of these phenomena in both popular and learned cultures. The author critiques the anthropological approach to the European witch trials, noting that while European society differed significantly from non-Western societies, the mechanisms behind witch beliefs and persecutions seem to transcend these cultural distinctions. Despite societal differences, both European and primitive cultures exhibited a fluidity in their understanding of causality, where magical, natural, and religious explanations coexisted without conflict, providing fertile ground for witch accusations.

The book delves into the challenge of discerning the true nature of witch beliefs in early European society, particularly the distinction between learned and popular traditions. Many scholars have proposed various foundations for witch beliefs—some argue that these beliefs were born of learned theological concepts, while others suggest they were rooted in popular folklore or even illicit practices. The author discusses these differing perspectives, offering a framework for distinguishing between sorcery, invocation, and diabolism, the core components of witchcraft, while acknowledging the blurring of these concepts in historical documents. By focusing on the period between 1300 and 1500, the work highlights the geographical regions most affected by witch trials, primarily in England, France, Italy, and Germany, offering a nuanced exploration of how these trials were influenced by societal anxieties and cultural tensions of the late medieval period.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1976.