In ancient years, women were often killed for their suspicions of witchcraft. Back in Babylon 2000 BC the death penalty for magic was applied. Negatively, sorcerers were treated in the ancient era. However, executions were isolated. In medieval Europe, "witches" began to be massively and brutally destroyed.
In almost all corners of Western Europe during the period from the 15th to the 17th centuries bonfires were blazing. The Inquisition did not sleep. Everyone was actively looking for witches to subsequently kill them. They destroyed not only women, but also men. Even the children were burned. What is the reason?
According to historians, mass hysteria was associated with a poor economic situation. Residents gradually became poorer, epidemics began, crop failures. It is known that many people associate the plight with otherworldly forces. Allegedly, they were jinxed.
A similar situation arose in medieval Europe. Everything was only aggravated by the filing of the clergy, who attributed all economic problems to accomplices of the devil - witches. Religion was taken very seriously before and priests used to believe in words. Therefore, Europeans instantly blamed the witches for all their problems. There was an opinion that the more you succeed in destroying the devil's accomplices, the happier your life will be.
In the 12th-13th centuries, witchcraft was rarely executed. But at the end of the 14th century, witches began to be burned en masse. There were also cases when 400 witches were killed at once. Everything was complicated after the release of the bulls about witches, which was written by Innocent 8. The murders of devil's accomplices began in all cities of Europe. The Inquisition in Germany worked with particular diligence.
There was even some competition. Judges from different countries and cities competed among themselves in the number of executed. Could burn anyone who was at least slightly different from most. They executed the most beautiful and most terrible, the thickest and the most thin, blind and crippled. One small denunciation was enough to burn a person. If a pig died at a neighbor, it means that soon the inquisition will come to a woman who lives nearby.
But not only the clergy distinguished themselves. Even ordinary people could execute witches. A case was recorded when a soldier acted as a judge on execution. And jurors were peasants. It got to the point that denunciations began to write on their competitors.
Over time, they began to compete not only in the number of victims. Each judge tried to come up with a more painful way of execution. For example, raw firewood was used to burn witches.
Reasons to Burn Witches
In addition to problems with the economy and embittered people, there were other reasons. Some historians believe that by burning witches, priests fought leprosy. After all, the "mark of the devil" (skin lesions) found on the body acted as evidence of guilt.
It is believed that they burned witches, trying to destroy feminism, which was just beginning to emerge. As an example, historians cite the execution of Joan of Arc. They burned her, accused of witchcraft.
