The European Witch-Hunt

The European Witch-Hunt seeks to explain why thousands of people, mostly lower-class women, were deliberately tortured and killed in the name of religion and morality during three centuries of intermittent witch-hunting throughout Europe and North America. Combining perspectives from history, sociology, psychology and other disciplines, this book provides a comprehensive account of witch-hunting in early modern Europe. Julian Goodare sets out an original interpretation of witch-hunting as an episode of ideologically-driven persecution by the 'godly state' in the era of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. Full weight is also given to the context of village social relationships, and there is a detailed analysis of gender issues. Witch-hunting was a legal operation, and the courts' rationale for interrogation under torture is explained. Panicking local elites, rather than central governments, were at the forefront of witch-hunting. Further chapters explore folk beliefs about legendary witches, and intellectuals' beliefs about a secret conspiracy of witches in league with the Devil. Witch-hunting eventually declined when the ideological pressure to combat the Devil's allies slackened. A final chapter sets witch-hunting in the context of other episodes of modern persecution. This book is the ideal resource for students exploring the history of witch-hunting. Its level of detail and use of social theory also make it important for scholars and researchers.

Julian Goodare is Reader in History at the University of Edinburgh. His previous books include The Government of Scotland, 1560-1625 (2004), and (as editor) Scottish Witches and Witch-Hunters (2013). He is Director of the online Survey of Scottish Witchcraft.

Introduction: THE WITCH-HUNT AND YOU Chapter 1: WITCHCRAFT! Chapter 2: TOWARDS WITCH-HUNTING Chapter 3: WITCHCRAFT AND THE INTELLECTUALS Chapter 4: WITCHES IN THE COMMUNITY Chapter 5: WITCHCRAFT AND FOLK BELIEF Chapter 6: WITCHES AND THE GODLY STATE Chapter 7: WITCHES IN COURT Chapter 8: THE DYNAMICS OF WITCH-HUNTING Chapter 9: WOMEN, MEN AND WITCHCRAFT Chapter 10: THE END OF WITCH-HUNTING Chapter 11: PERSPECTIVES ON THE WITCH-HUNT FURTHER READING APPENDIX: INTENSITY OF WITCH-HUNTING IN EUROPE INDEX