The Protestant
Reformation ignited the canon that would become insecurity and doubt in the
beliefs and doctrines of the medieval Catholic Church. With the challenging of
the practices of selling indulgences, as detailed by Martin Luther in 1521, to
the dogma of papal infallibility in addition to the formation of new Christian
denominations and belief systems such as Calvinism and Lutheranism, followers of
the Christian faith were dazed and confused, to say the least. This sparked
disagreements and conflict between those living in the same area but following
different Christian denominations. Which denomination was most accurate in
their beliefs? Which denomination was superior to all others? Followers of each
different group believed that theirs was superior, and all others failed in
comparison.
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| A priest performing an exorcism on an accused witch. |
In areas where
Catholicism was prevalent, there was persecutions of Protestants, and vice
versa. In order to justify these persecutions – which often were murderous –
the perpetrators did so under the guise of prosecuting and eradicating those found
practicing witch craft. In The Witch-Hunt
in Early Modern Europe, historian Levack states that “if witch-hunting was
more widespread and intense in areas that were religiously divided, then the
converse must also be true” (Levack 124). We can see from our class discussion
and readings that larger states, such as Spain and Italy, had many more
accusations than smaller states such as Portugal and Ireland.
The Reformation played a
key role in instigating the witch-hunts, and became a large catalyst due to the
invention of the printing press in 1440 that allowed for mass production of
texts such as Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses
which challenged the standard beliefs and practices at the time. This begs the
question of whether any of the witch-hunts were truly due to thoughts of witch
craft and acts of one doing nothing other than using magic and to cause
malicious harm to someone, or if they were simply executing their own beliefs
that were challenged and taboo at the time.
Image credit:
http://williameamon.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Woodcut-1598-witch-trial.jpg
http://williameamon.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Woodcut-1598-witch-trial.jpg
Very interesting post. We are oftentimes taught to view the Reformation as a very positive thing - which it was a major step in religion, particularly Christianity - but it did, in fact, cause a lot of unrest. After reading the Levack sections for today, it is clear that there are a number of reasons as to why witches and witchcraft were targeted. Whether it is religious or social change, political unrest, or high death rates, there was a lot of anxiety going on during this time.
ReplyDeleteYou raise a fine point about people being persecuted for practicing their own religious beliefs. As we discussed in class today, things that were both small and significant to religious practices, like the use of holy water, were removed. That would cause some anxiety, like Sarah pointed out, because people would be unable to protect themselves. Until now, I hadn't considered the fact that some people may have been persecuted for using things like holy water to defend themselves. The stringent sets of policies paired with unabashed rivalry makes for a high-stress environment where one cannot exactly choose to worship however they please. That seems very stressful.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. It is interesting that countries that were more religiously diverse had more witches and trials. I guess religious freedom and rebellion causes people to stress out and make accusations toward people who were different from them.
ReplyDeleteWell, Roper's chapters this week will bring us face to face with real women accused of witch-craft so I do think it's more than opposing religious beliefs. I think the idea is that people had fewer resources to cope with anxieties and tensions rather than being banned from a certain ritual. Also, thinking about the word "religious freedom" and the 16th century--these words don't really mix since the Reformation was not truly about "freedom."
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your mention of the printing press in your post. For me, I truly believe that this new technology would play a crucial role in the spread of ideas that perpetuated the growing witch-hunts of the early modern era. Just as social media in the 21st century has created an massive outlet for information and opinions to be spread, the printing press did the same from its creation onward. I feel like scholars in today's world must consider the emotions that coincide with events (such as the Reformation) and the technological advancements that contribute to their spread. For example just look at the most recent item on anyone's Facebook feed and see the widespread knowledge regarding the topic as well as a variety of opinions on the matter. Thanks!
ReplyDelete