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Essay On The Witch Craze

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During 16th century Europe, the witch craze was at its peak and there were several factors that increased prosecutions of witches at that time. On major contribution to the witch craze was the Protestant reformation (1517-1648). This religious movement had a great impact to European culture and it also made a great impact on how many people could read the bible. Before, only those who were educated could read the bible, but with missionaries spreading the word of the bible, more and more people became aware of the presence of Satan (Groovy Historian, March, 2015). The printing press was a major influence at the time, literature of all kinds of subjects were being printed and making books more available for the common folks. One book in particular during the witch craze, Malleus Maleficium (The Hammer of Witches, …show more content…

The witch craze was not favored by all, but eventually everyone began to notice that it was all just an act of fear. By 1700, there was an increase in religious tolerance starting with Holland and then spreading throughout Europe. For example, France began to ask for further evidence before convicting someone with any affiliation to witchcraft. Even Louis XIV, in 1688, believe that the whole witch craze was a fraud (Perry, Western Civilization). With less and less people believing in the witch craze, people began to distinguish the difference between magic, superstitions, and the real world. The Scientific Revolution (1550-1700) played a major role with the decline of the witch craze. The Scientific Revolution saw new kinds of medical and biological processes develop, showing that superstitious beliefs are not so easily proven. Superstitious beliefs were challenged, because Scientists backed up their theories and it was credible. With the decline of superstitions, this help with the decline of witch prosecutions towards the end of the witch craze (New Histories, March,

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