Witches and the practice witchcraft has been a part of Europe's history for hundreds of years. They have always been a present character in folklore, usually in the form of an elderly, ghastly, and evil women. The European witch hunts were a widespread moral panic suggesting that malevolent Satanic witches were operating as an organized threat to Christendom during the 15th to 18th centuries. Many argue the European witch hunts were misogynistic, as those faced with the accusation were mainly women. However, The popularization of the witch hunts did not come from a misogynistic origin. Misogyny can be defined as “[The] dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women.” After further investigation, the witch trials have proven …show more content…
(put more info about what they are)
During the period of the witch trials in Early Modern Europe, there was also an ongoing conflict between the Roman Catholics and the Protestants. The protestant reformation, and the enlightenment period allowed for a decrease in church power, specifically the roman catholic church. This decrease was a cause for concern for religious leaders.At the same time, the printing press allowed fictional stories about witches and magicians to be spread throughout the continent, thereby reinforcing the belief in malevolent practitioners of magic who interacted with the Devil and his demons. The church was able to conveniently use women as a scapegoat from the beginning of the witch craze as it was easy for the commoners to cling to their faith in the face of evil. The church would often use the story of Adam and Even as it was easy for the commoners of the time to relate to the story of Adam and Eve, a biblical story about how Eve, a woman, was the downfall of Adam. It is not uncommon for our world to turn to a scapegoat when circumstances are poor, which is what seem to have occurred in