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Topic: Witchcraft
Outline:
- Add to Witchcraft#Europe
- Witchcraft in Europe between 500-1750 was believed to be a combination of sorcery and heresy. While sorcery attempts to produce negative supernatural effects through formulas and rituals, heresy is the Christian contribution to witchcraft in which an individual makes a pact with the Devil. In addition, heresy denies witches the recognition of important Christian values such as baptism, salvation, Christ and sacraments. [1] The beginning of the witch accusations in Europe took place in the 14th and 15th centuries; however as the social disruptions of the 16th century took place, witchcraft trials intensified.[2]
- Witchcraft#Spain (already existing, will not edit)
- Add Italy
As in most European countries, women in Italy were more likely suspected of witchcraft than men.[3] Women were considered dangerous due to their supposed sexual instability, such as when being aroused, and also due to the powers of their menstrual blood.[4]
In the 16th century, Italy had a high portion of witchcraft trials involving love magic.[5] The country had a large number of unmarried married due to men marrying later in their lives during this time.[5]This left many women on a desperate quest for marriage leaving them vulnerable to the accusation of witchcraft whether they took part in it or not.[5] Trial records from the Inquisition and secular courts discovered a link between prostitutes and supernatural practices. Professional prostitutes were considered experts in love and therefore knew how to make love potions and cast love related spells.[4] Up until 1630, the majority of women accused of witchcraft were prostitutes.[3] A courtesan was questioned about her use of magic due to her relationship with men of power in Italy and her wealth.[6] The majority of women accused were also considered "outsiders" because they were poor, had different religious practices, spoke a different language, or simply from a different city/town/region.[7] Cassandra from Ferrara, Italy, was still considered a foreigner because not native to Rome where she was residing. She was also not seen as a model citizen because her husband was in Venice.[8]
From the 16th-18th centuries, the Catholic Church enforced moral discipline throughout Italy.[9] With the help of local tribunals, such as in Venice, the two institutions investigated a woman's religious behaviors when she was accused of witchcraft.[3]
- ^ Monter, E. William (1969). European Witchcraft. New York. pp. vii–viii.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Kiekhefer, Richard (201). European Witch Trials: Their Foundations in Popular and Learned Culture, 1300-1500. Routledge. p. 102.
- ^ a b c Martin, Ruth (1989). Witchcraft and the Inquisition in Venice, 1550-1650. Oxford, UK. p. 235.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Black, Christopher F. (2001). Early Modern Italy: A Social History. London. p. 115.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b c Kiekhefer, Richard (2001). European Witch Trials: Their Foundation in Popular and Learned Culture, 1300-1500. p. 57.
- ^ Cohen, Elizabeth S. and Thomas V. (1993). Words and Deeds in Renaissance Rome: Trials before the Papal Magistrates. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 189–195.
- ^ Schutte, Anne Jacobson (2008). Aspiring Saints: Pretense of Holiness, Inquisition, and Gender in the Republic of Venice, 1618-1750. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press. p. 99.
- ^ Cohen, Elizabeth S. and Thomas V. (1993). Words and Deeds in Renaissance Rome: Trials before the Papal Magistrates. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 201–238.
- ^ Ferraro, Joanne Marie. Nefarious Crimes, Contested Justice: Illicit Sex, and Infanticide in the Republic of Venice, 1557-1789. p. 3.