How Many People Were Put To Death For Practicing Witchcraft?

Tens of thousands of people were executed for witchcraft in Europe and the American colonies over several hundred years, starting around 1400. Modern conservative scholars estimate around 40,000-50,000 people were executed, with at least 20,000 “witches” killed across 60 countries between 2009 and 2019. The actual number is likely much higher as incidents are severely under-reported.

The Salem Witch Trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. Over 200 people were accused, and 30 were executed. In 1711, colonial authorities pardoned some of the accused and compensated their families. Some experts estimate that as many as 3,000 people were accused and executed for witchcraft in Scotland.

The number of trials and executions varied according to time and place, but it is generally believed that about 110,000 persons in total were tried for witchcraft and between 40,000 to 60,000 were executed. Nine million witches died in the years of the witch persecutions, with about 30,000-60,000 people executed in the main era of witchcraft. Witch hunts were particularly severe in parts of the Holy Roman Empire.

In 1736, Parliament passed an Act repealing the laws against witchcraft, leading to the trial of 141 suspects, both men and women. Nineteen were executed by hanging, while one was pressed to death. Roughly 100,000 people were tried for witchcraft, and 50,000 were executed. It was believed that witches threatened Christian society by drawing upon Satan’s power. Most feminist scholars assert that the Christian state executed nine million accused witches, the vast majority of whom were women or young people.

How many people were executed for witchcraft?

Tens of thousands of people were executed for witchcraft in Europe and the American colonies over several centuries, with modern conservative scholars estimating around 40, 000-50, 000. Carlo Ginzburg of the University of Bologna estimates the number between 3-4 million people. Common methods of execution for convicted witches were hanging, drowning, and burning, with burning being favored in Europe due to its perceived pain. Prosecutors in the American colonies generally preferred hanging in cases of witchcraft. Examples of witch trials include Ann Hibbins’ execution in 1656 and George Jacobs’ trial in 1692.

Who was the last real witch?

Anna Göldi, an 18th-century Swiss housemaid, was one of the last people to be executed for witchcraft in Europe. Born in Sennwald, she began working as a domestic servant at age 18. At 31, she was impregnated by a mercenary who left Switzerland before giving birth. Her baby died the night it was born, and she was pilloried and sentenced to six years of house arrest.

Göldi escaped and found employment with the Zwicky family in Mollis, where she had a son with Johann Melchior Zwicky, the son of her employer. In 1780, she began working as a maid for the Tschudi family, and was reported for putting needles in the bread and milk of one of his daughters. Initially escaping arrest, Göldi was arrested and tortured under torture, admitting to entering a pact with the Devil. She withdrew her confession after the torture ended but was sentenced to execution by decapitation.

The charges were officially of “poisoning” rather than witchcraft, but the law at the time did not impose the death penalty for non-lethal poisoning. Göldi was posthumously exonerated by the government of the canton of Glarus in 2008.

Which country has the most witch trials?

Witch hunting in Early Modern Europe was a frenzy that occurred in two waves: the first in the 15th and early 16th centuries and the second in the 17th century. The most significant area of witch hunting was southwestern Germany, where the highest concentration of trials occurred between 1561 and 1670. The 1692-1693 Salem Witch Trials were a brief outburst of witch hysteria in the New World, occurring when the practice was already waning in Europe.

In February 1692, a girl became ill and her playmates exhibited unusual behavior. A supernatural cause was suggested, leading to suspicions of witchcraft. Three townswomen were accused of witchcraft: Tituba, a slave, Sarah Good, a poor beggar, and Sarah Osborne, a quarrelsome woman. During the trial, Tituba declared herself a witch and flew through the air on poles, silenced skeptics, and witch hunting began in earnest.

Is witchcraft illegal in the UK?

The Witchcraft Act 1735, passed in 1692, remained in effect in Britain until its repeal in 1951 with the Fraudulent Mediums Act. The Act was replaced by new Consumer Protection Regulations in 2008, following an EU directive on unfair sales and marketing practices. The Witchcraft Suppression Act, 1957, in South Africa, is still in effect and is based on the Witchcraft Act 1735. The Fraudulent Mediums Act was repealed in 2008 by new Consumer Protection Regulations.

What country in Europe had witchcraft?

Witch-hunts were prevalent in early modern Europe, with central and southern Germany being the most significant area. Germany was a late starter in witch trials, with the peak years occurring from 1561 to 1670. The first major persecution of witches occurred in Wiesensteig, southwestern Germany, in 1563. These witch-hunts spread across Europe, with learned European ideas about witchcraft and demonological ideas strongly influencing the North. Economic pressure also played a significant role in these witch-hunts, as seen in regions like Bavaria and Scotland.

In Denmark, the burning of witches increased following the reformation of 1536, with Christian IV of Denmark encouraging this practice. In Finnmark, northern Norway, severe witchcraft trials took place between 1600-1692. The Witchcraft Act 1541 in England regulated penalties for witchcraft. In Scotland, over 70 people were accused of witchcraft due to bad weather when James VI of Scotland visited Denmark in 1590.

James VI personally presided over the torture and execution of Doctor Fian, and published a witch-hunting manual, Daemonologie, which contained the famous dictum: “Experience daily proves how loath they are to confess without torture”.

The Pendle witch trials of 1612 became the most famous witch trials in English history. In England, witch-hunting reached its apex in 1644 to 1647 due to Puritan Matthew Hopkins’ efforts. Hopkins charged towns hefty fees during the English Civil War and had 300 convictions and deaths attributed to his work. His book, The Discovery of Witches, became an influential legal text, and it was used in the American colonies as early as May 1647, when Margaret Jones was executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts.

When was the last person executed for witchcraft?

Janet Horne, also known as ‘Janet Horne’, was the last person in Britain to be tried and executed for witchcraft in 1727. She and her daughter were arrested in Dornoch due to a deformity in their hands and feet, which was believed to be evidence of their witchcraft. The hooves were believed to be evidence of their witchcraft, as Janet had not fully returned her daughter to human form. Despite limited legal options, Janet’s trial was rushed, and Captain David Ross, the sheriff-depute of Sutherland, found both Janet and her daughter guilty and ordered their execution the following day.

How many people were charged with witchcraft?

The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 involved over 200 people accused of practicing witchcraft, with twenty executed, most by hanging. The trial was the only state-sanctioned execution of its kind. Dozens suffered under inhumane conditions, including torture and imprisonment without trials. The tragedy of the trial is largely due to the failure of the court and laws during that time, which made visions, dreams, and spirits’ testimony permissible evidence.

The court accepted flimsy accusations, which would seem laughable today. The trials occurred just as Europe’s “witchcraft craze” from the 14th to 17th centuries was winding down, with an estimated tens of thousands of European witches, mostly women, executed.

How many people were tried for witchcraft in Europe?

The witch trials in Early Modern Europe were believed to be a result of conflicts between Roman Catholics and Protestants. A 2017 study in the Economic Journal found that intense religious-market contestation led to more intense witch-trial activity, and factors such as weather, income, and state capacity were not important for witch-trial activity. However, this theory received limited support from other experts due to the lack of evidence that either Roman Catholics or Protestants were accusing Roman Catholics of witchcraft.

Witch trials were also often conducted in regions with little or no inter-denominational strife and were largely religiously homogeneous. There is evidence from the Holy Roman Empire that Roman Catholic and Protestant territories exchanged information on alleged local witches, viewing them as a common threat. Many prosecutions were instigated by popular demands from within the population, making it less likely that there were specific inter-denominational reasons behind the accusations. The 2017 study argues that both Catholics and Protestants used the hunt for witches in competitive efforts to expand power and influence.

How many people confessed to witchcraft?

The Salem witchcraft events, which began in February 1692 and lasted until April 1693, resulted in at least 25 deaths, with 19 executed by hanging, one tortured to death, and five in jail due to harsh conditions. Over 160 people were accused of witchcraft, most of whom were jailed, and many deprived of property and legal rights. Accused persons lived in Salem and Salem Village, now Danvers, and in two dozen other towns in eastern Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Nearly fifty people confessed to witchcraft, most to save themselves from trial. In October 1692, Governor William Phips ended the special witchcraft court in Salem, and the new Superior Court of Judicature began to try the remaining cases. After the Salem trials, no one was convicted of witchcraft in New England.

When was the last witch burned?

Janet Horne, the last person to be executed legally for witchcraft in the British Isles, was executed in 1727 in Dornoch, Scotland. She and her daughter were arrested and imprisoned due to accusations of senility and deformity of the hands and feet. Horne was accused of using her daughter as a pony to ride to the Devil, where she had her shod by him. The trial was quick, and both were sentenced to be burned at the stake. Janet managed to escape, but she was stripped, smeared with tar, paraded through the town on a barrel, and burned alive. Nine years after her death, the witchcraft acts in Scotland were repealed.

Who were the 19 witches of Salem?

In 1692, nineteen individuals were executed on Gallows Hill on charges of witchcraft. Those convicted and sentenced to death included Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Good, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, Sarah Wildes, George Burroughs, Martha Carrier, John Willard, George Jacobs, Sr., John Proctor, Martha Corey, Mary Eastey, Ann Pudeator, Alice Parker, Mary Parker, and Wilmott Redd.