'The most important factor in explaining witch hunts in the years c1500-1700 was religion' How far do you agree? Explain your answer. You may use the following in your answer: Demanologie The English Civil War You must also use information of your own (12 mark) Throughout the years of 1500-1700 there where hundreds of thousands of people accused of witch craft and sent to be killed brutally and in most cases unfairly. Punishments would of included being burnt alive or drowned. The reasons of why the witch hunting craze happened between the years of 1500-1700 are mixed but they include the civil war, the belief of demonology and religious beliefs. Today I will be exploring all these concepts and evaluating which one played the biggest part in the witch hunting craze. Witchcraft persecutions began during Elizabeth I's reign in the year around 1563, which was much later than other areas of Europe. Witch hunts in southern France and Switzerland began as early as the 14th century. In early …show more content…
The Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts in 1692 stemmed from King James' fear of witches - and that fear continued through his son Charles I, and all the way throughout the Stuart Era. Witches were no longer the subject of folklore and medieval myths - they were a real, tangible representation of the devil. They could inflict diseases on people, spoil crops, bring about bad weather, and perform other unspeakable horror acts of devil's work. Witches and witchcraft were a scary reality of the 16th and 17th centuries in England. Thousands of woman would of been killed by horrible methods just because if their neighbour has had a bad harvest or something bad/unusual has happened within their lives. People would of looked up to the King and would of shared their fear of witches and witchcraft meaning everyone was on edge and accusations would have been flying left right and