How do you account for the rise of witch hunts in Europe during the early modern period?

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How do you account for the rise of witch hunts in Europe during the early modern period?

Tens of thousands of people were persecuted and put to death as witches between 1570 and 1680 – known as the great age of witch-hunts. Europeans had an extensive range of magical beliefs and practices, mainly due to the Christian belief that magic exists. The elite believed in magic as fervently as the most ignorant peasant. It was believed that some members of the society sold their soul to the devil giving them power to inflict pain on others and take part in supernatural performances. Famous intellectuals such as James V1, or the internationally famous lawyer Jean Bodin, publicly declared the existence and reality of witchcraft which only convinced the thoughts and fears of the common folk. There remain a number of reasons and explanations given by historians over the years to explain why the witch hunt was it its peak during this period and whom were the most targeted members of society.

Religion was a colossal factor in the rise of witch hunts like an epidemic. The Pope XX11 expressed a particular horror of witches and claimed that he “feared for his own life at their hands.”  The Church and its teachings also played a big part in the views and beliefs of people. This was due to people having a strong faith in religion and therefore lacking the audacity to refute the teachings and views of the Bible and the state. “The Church was keen to condemn all such traditions as superstitious and pagan….for several centuries regarded as having conciliar authority.” In the early modern period it was common to believe the words of the Church and only natural to accept them as true facts.

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Another reason for the increased rise of witchcraft could be the punishment that one received if they were found guilty. This explains why many individuals falsely testified against those that were being tortured and maimed so they would not be accused of being witches. “Only a few were able to withstand severe and prolonged torture without admitting to what they thought their interrogators wanted to hear.” Those who believed that real witches existed, and were an insult to God, trusted that the legal process of punishing would be assisted with divine power which would protect the innocent from accusation or prevent ...

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