Witch Trial History

Witch Trial History and other spooky things

Early History	13th century	14th century	15th century	16th century
17th century	18th century	19th century	20th century	References

Year	Early History
672-738ca	Bede wrote History of English, a history of Christianity England. His book is referred to in the Malleus Maleficarum. 2.

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Year	13th Century
1224	New law of the German Emperor Frederick II. This was the first official law that ordered everyone guilty of heresy to be burned at the stake. 1.
1228	The French King Louis IX empowers the new laws. He explicitly orders his authorities to be very strict on the new heresy laws. Anyone helping a heretic would be punished. He who took one in, could count on a reward. 1.
1233	First Papal ordinance directly dealing with witchcraft-Bull by Pope Gregory IX (Ugolino, Count of Segeni), to Conrad of Marburg, bidding him to proceed against the Luciferians. July 30th of that year, Conrad of Marburg was murdered on the highway in pursuit of his duties. 2.
1252	Publication of the Bull Ad exstirpanda. This bull by Pope Innocentius IV, officially approved the rack as a method of torture. 1.
1258	Bull by Pope Alexander IV (Rinaldo Conti), to Franciscan Inquisitors, bidding them refrain from judging any cases of witchcraft unless there was some very strong reason to suppose that heretical practice could also be amply proved. 2.
1261	Bernard Gui, and inquisitor in Toulousel, France (1307-1323). Author of Practica Inquisitionis, the Inquisitor's Manual. He also describes the Inquisitorial Techniques. 1.

Year	14th Century
1324 - 1325	Witch Trial of Dame Alice Kyteler, Ireland. 1.
1347 - 1351	Black death in Europe! 25 million people were killed, approximately 1/4 of Europe's population. 1.
1376	Publication of Directorium inquisitorium. Directions for the inquisition by a Domenican Monk.

Year	15th Century
1431	May 30th, Joan of Arc burned at the stake in Rouen. 2.
1459	The horrors of Vlad Dracula, the Impaler. 2.
1484 1492	Reign of Pope Innocentius VIII.
1484	Bull Summis Desiderantes Affectibus by Pope Innocent VIII, Dec. 5th 1484. This document officially approved Kramer and Sprenger, the authors of the Malleus Maleficarum (or The Witches Hammer) to continue with their work as Inquisitors, in large parts of Germany. 2. It also gave them rights to "be empowered to proceed to the just correction, imprisonment, and punishment of any persons, without let or hindrance, in every way"... 1.
1485	The Inquisitor of Como. 2.
1486	Maximilian I, Emperor of Germany and King of the Romans signs papers in Brussels giving permission to Sprenger and Kramer to carry out their duties, commanding cooperation with them. 2.
1489	Publication of De Lamiis et Phitonicis Mulieribus by Ulrich Molitor. 1.
1493 1541	Paracelsus. A physician who claimed that everything he learned came from an old witch. 2.

Year	16th Century
1515 to 1588	Dr. Johannes Weyer (Weir). Born in Brabant Belgium. German physician. Believed most witches were melancholy mentally disturbed old women, incapable of harm. Believed that the belief in witchcraft was caused by the devil. In 1563 wrote De Praestigiis Daemonum making him one of the first sceptical authors on Witchcraft. Was forced out of Netherlands by the Catholic Governor, Duke of Alba. His book was denounced by Jean Bodin. 2, 1.
1529 1596	Jean Bodin, French Judge. In 1580 wrote De la Demonomanie des Sorciers - Claims that those who denied the existence of witches were themselves witches. 2.
1530 1616	Nicholas Remy. French Lawyer fighting against witches. In 1595 writes Demonaltry and sites 128 cases. 2.
1542	King Henry VIII Witchcraft Act. The bill against conjurations and wichescraftes and sorcery and enchantmentes. 1.
1545	The word occult first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary, and it meant "that which is hidden or is beyond the range of ordinary apprehension and understanding.
1562	Elizabethan Witchcraft Act. An act agaynst Conjuracions Inchauntmentes and Witchecraftes. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. 1.
1566	The Chelmesford Witches. 2.
1584	The Discoverie of Witchcraft published by Reginald Scot. Although Scot was a demonologist, his book was rather special and suggested that maybe witches didn't' really exist. It was also one of the first books written in the language of the common people - English. 1 & 2.
1590 1591	The North Berwick Witches 1.

Year	17th Century
1603	King James I Witchcraft Act. An acte against conjuration witchcrafte and dealinge with evill and wicked Spirits. 1.
1608	Publication of the Compendium Maleficarum by Francesco Maria Guazzo. 1 & 2.
1627 1628	Executions in Wurzburg, Germany. Many burnings. 1
1628	Letter written by Johannes Junius to his daughter before his execution for witchcraft. 2.
1644 1646	Active period of Witch-finder General Matthew Hopkins, effecting the counties of Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk in England. Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire and Bedfordshire were also visited, but with less success. 1.
1645 1692	The New England Witch trials, including that of Margaret Jones. 2.
1646	Select Cases of Conscience touching Witches and Witchcraft by John Gaule. He condemned witchcraft, but also the practices of witch-hunters. 1.
1647	Matthew Hopkins' The Discovery of Witches is published, wherein he defended himself and his profession. He died the very same year.
1648	Confirmation and Discovery of Witch-Craft by John Stearne. 1.
1663 1728	Cotton Mather - defends the trials and executions in New England. In 1689 writes Memorable Providence Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions. 2.
1669	Witch Trials in Mora, Sweden. 87 women and children are executed. 1.
1692	Salem Witch Trials: 5 hung on July 19th, 5 hung on August 19th, and 8 were hung on September 22nd. (a dog was also executed.) 2.

Year	18th Century
1705	Witch trial in Northamptonshire; Elinor Shaw and Mary Phillips executed for Witchcraft. (See the pamphlet The Northamptonshire Witches) 1.
1735	Witchcraft Act of 1735. An Act to repeal the Statute made in the First Year of the Reign of King James the First, entitled, An Act against Conjuration, Witchcraft, and dealing with evil and wicked Spirits, except so much thereof as repeals an Act of the Fifth Year of the Reign of Queen Elisabeth, Against Conjurations, Inchantments, and Witchcrafts, and to repeal an Act passed in the Parliament of Scotland. 1.
1782	Last witch burned in Europe. 2.
1782	Anna Goeldi, hanged at Glaris in Switzerland, June 17th. 2.
1792	The last trial and judicial execution in Europe itself was probably that of two aged beldames, Satanists, who were burned at the stake in Poland. 2.

Year	19th Century
	No entries to date. Stay tuned!

Year	20th Century
1920	Joan of Arc declared a saint. 2.
1921	Margaret Murrary's publication of **"Witch-Cult in Western Europe". She felt that witchcraft appears to be the ancient religion of Western Europe, and could be traced to "pre-Christian times."**
1929	Montague Summers writes introductions for old books used for Inquisition (available from Dover), praising their works. 2.
1951	Witchcraft laws of England are repealed. 4.
1954	The publication of *"Witchcraft Today"* and *"The Meaning of Witchcraft"* by Gerald Gardner. He claimed to have been initiated into a tradition that had fragments of the Old Religion that had been passed down for generations. He gathered these fragments, turned them into a cohesive whole, and published them before they were lost. Whether or not these fragments were authentic is a matter of much debate. 4.
1979	Margot Adler published *Drawing Down The Moon"* and Starhawk published *The Spiral Dance*. Both of these books provided framework for this evolving religion, and Adler's book particularly was hailed by many as one of the most comprehensive studies of modern paganism. Starhawks book provided practical instructions in "reclaiming the ancient religion of the Great Goddess." 4.
1994	Rita Radcliffe of Kenton, Ohio lost custody of her three foster children because she was Wiccan. An ex-worker at the foster agency who is biased against Witchcraft, spread false rumors of child abuse and "devil worship." Although Rita and the children have undergone 3 separate investigations which found no signs of either, the Judge has still ruled that the children cannot return to her home. 3.
1995	StarDawn of Battefield, Missouri was fired from a nursing position after explaining why she was making arrangements to work Thanksgiving in exchange for having Spring Equinox off. 3.
Today	Old people, mostly women, are being killed as witches in South Africa. 2.

Ref #	Reference
1	Witchcraft Archives - History of Witchcraft.
2	A Time Line of Witch Trial History within Joan's Witch Dictionary. An excellent source page!
3	Various issues of Circle Network News, Lady Liberty League Reports by Kari M. Scott. Paraphrasing article.
4	Various sources used when researching my Web Site. None are quotes of works.

Created by Spyrit Dancer last updated on 9/22/00.

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