Oftentimes the Spanish Inquisition
gets a bad rap. Even though countless individuals were persecuted for being Jewish
or Muslim, no one can argue that a plethora of people were victimized by means
of a bloody purge to rid Iberia of witchcraft and magic. On the contrary, a
small percentage of the total number of people accused and brought before
inquisitorial courts during the period between 1540 and 1700 were charged with Superstition
and Witchcraft, according to Christina Larner (CP, 2015). Out of almost 45,000
total charges only 3,500, or roughly 8%, were based on witchcraft and magic. Furthermore
out of 535 executions in the region of Aragon during 1540-1640, a measly 12
souls lost their lives because of accusations of superstition and witchcraft,
most receiving the “mildest penalties [of]… confession and absolution,” (qtd.
in CP, 2015).
Although
any loss of life is a sad occurrence, the numbers in Spain illustrate a significant
downplay compared from the massive witch-hunts that were occurring in northern
Europe during this time. While many of the magistrates over witch trials in
northern Europe were secular, in Spain the Catholic “Inquisition had
jurisdiction over all offenses involving… superstition and magic…” (qtd. in CP,
2015). It was in this role that the Inquisition presided over the cases of
accused witches and magicians during the early modern period. Addressing the
issue of the amount of severity that witches were dealt, or more accurately NOT
dealt, resides in the common notion that individuals who were accused of
witchcraft were actually attempting to invoke God’s power through the use of
legitimate Church “magic”. Larner contends that many did not know that they
were sinning and that had they of known it, they would have stopped. Moreover
the “only reason that the [commoners’ practice of magic] did not qualify as
Church ‘magic’ was that the practitioners violated the Church’s monopoly on
divine access,” (qtd. in CP, 2015).
Needless
to say the leniency that accused witches in Spain received during the Inquisition
nullifies the belief that all were treated with extreme harshness. Since most
inquisitors “assumed that most accused of magic were sincere Catholics who
truly did not knowingly call upon demons,” they would receive much lighter
punishment compared to more serious offences such as heresy, sodomy, and
opposition to the Inquisition (qtd. in CP, 2015).
 |
| An early 19th century engraving of what many experienced during the Inquisition. However, according to Larner individuals who were accused of witchcraft and superstition were almost always not subjected to torture. |
Why was the main focus in Spain was
on different issues than witchcraft and magic, while many other regions were
focusing their attention on eradicating all forms of magic practice?
Do you feel that Spain’s recent past
at the time contributed to the Inquisition’s attention to religious matters?
Source:
Wolbrink,
Shelley, comp. Course Packet: History of European Witch-hunts.
Springfield, Missouri: Drury University Carbon Copy, 2015.
Thank you for your post, Dylan! I think part of it has to do with how people treat religion differently from others. While religion and religious anxiety seemed to have a part in a lot of the witch-trials, people respond to it differently - this is true even in today's society. Some might respond with more panic, while others focus on different aspects, in this case witchcraft vs. heresy. Not to mention, the past can always have an impact on how society handles a new circumstance. Again, they might just have a different response than others.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I wonder if the persecution of other religions more so than the persecution of magic and witches didn't come down to a more regionally specific mindset. In areas such as Germany where "witches" were persecuted in large numbers this was because the mindset and way of thinking deemed them to be a legitimate threat to their religion and everyday lives. Maybe in Spain Jews and Moors were seen as a more pertinent threat to their way of life than that of witches.
ReplyDeleteIt would seem that these witches were people who were trying to work within religion instead of outside of it. Jews in particular had a separate set of religious creed, whereas many witches were attempting to work within Christian belief to bend God's will. While this in itself is an issue, the sin lied within attempting to overstep boundaries as far as roles go and not going against fundamental beliefs.
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