Witchcraft in the 15th century

In this paper, I will explore many aspects of the outbreaks of the witch accusations and witch trials which plagued England and the rest of Europe from approximately 1450 to 1750. Though numerous theories have been provided as to the reasons for these hunts and trials, there are three which are the most prevalent, and able to support themselves. These three theories are the topics of: gender, as a stepping stone towards the oppression of women; social class, as a relief of tension and stress formed by the socio-economic gaps between the wealthy and the poor; and finally religion, as a result of the encouragement to conform more steadily towards one religion. I chose to argue towards the third theory I have stated, that of the religious changes facing England at the time. Throughout the three hundred years that the perceived problems of witchcraft haunted this nation, the religious momentum swayed back and forth many times. My decision to support the religious theories attached to witchcraft may not be as traditional as most student’s. It was a decision based more upon the motives and not so hidden agendas that the theorists who were (obviously) not present at the times of the trials. Historical fact has been in debate for as long as history has been recorded, because everything written or spoken is rhetoric, and this impossible to escape from. Therefore, in order to defend my decision to choose religion, I will be adopting a new historicist point of view for the first few paragraphs of this paper.
To me, the other two major theories applied to the problems of witchcraft seem much to politicized to be considered as historical. As Sharpe states, addressing the gender issue first, “The crucial development here was the rise of the Women’s Movement in the United States and Europe”(9). He continues to say that these women “sought to construct a history of oppression which would help inform their consciousness in their ongoing struggle”(10). This theory absolutely reeks of ulterior motives. Though it cannot be denied that approximately eighty percent of the witches executed during these times were women, it seems odd that no scholars felt inclined to point this out as relevant until the 1970s when it fit into the “construction of a history.” History should not be constructed in order to suit the needs of the present, nor the future. Ac...

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...now such things as be not fitting” and that “their complection [i.e. psychological condition] is softer, and from hence more easily receive the impressions offered by the divell [sic]” (Document 9, 109). Direct connection is made to the Christian church in his fourth point, using Genesis as a reference, in his insistence that “in them [women] is a greater facility to fall, and therefore the divell at first tooke advantage and set upon Eve in Adam’s absence [sic]” (109). This once again connects a popular belief and probably on of the most famous stories in Christianity to the idea of witchcraft.
In conclusion, though I have shown support for the religion theory most of all in this paper, I do believe that it was not one aspect that set this craze off. Many different theories overlapped to form this tragic and lengthy period of England’s history. Obviously, from the notes we’ve taken in this class, we realize that religion did and always will play a major role in England, or any other country for that matter. Perhaps from this spectacle of unnecessary death, we can learn that any institution, given too much power can, even unwillingly, prove dangerous.