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A witch hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. Practicing evil spells or incantations was proscribed and punishable in early human civilizations in the Middle East. In medieval Europe, witch-hunts often arose in connection to charges of heresy from Christianity.
About eighty people were accused of practicing witchcraft in a witch-hunt that lasted throughout New England from 1647 to 1663. Thirteen women and two men were executed. [4] The Salem witch trials followed in 1692–93, culminating in the executions of 20 people. Five others died in jail.
Throughout the medieval era, mainstream Christian doctrine had denied the belief in the existence of witches and witchcraft, condemning it as a pagan superstition. [14] Some have argued that the work of the Dominican Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century helped lay the groundwork for a shift in Christian doctrine, by which certain Christian theologians eventually began to accept the possibility ...
Thirteen women and two men were executed in a witch-hunt that lasted throughout New England from 1645 to 1663. [30] The Salem witch trials followed in 1692–93. These witch trials were the most famous in British North America and took place in the coastal settlements near Salem, Massachusetts. Prior to the witch trials, nearly three hundred ...
The Würzburg witch trials of 1625–1631, which took place in the self-governing Catholic Prince-Bishopric of Würzburg in the Holy Roman Empire in present-day Germany, formed one of the biggest mass trials and mass executions ever seen in Europe, and one of the largest witch trials in history.
In recent times, Wolfgang Behringer has provided an overview about witch hunts throughout history and continents. [4] A particularly high prevalence of recent witch hunting has been noted for the DRC, South Africa, [5] [6] Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria. [7] Other states showing ongoing and repeated witch hunts are Malawi, Ghana, Gambia, Benin ...
The depiction of witches has evolved throughout film history, touching horror, comedy, and beyond. ... the influential Swedish film explores superstitions and witch hunts through history, which ...
Witch hunts began to increase first in southern France and Switzerland, during the 14th and 15th centuries. Witch hunts and witchcraft trials rose markedly during the social upheavals of the 16th century, peaking between 1560 and 1660. [72] The peak years of witch-hunts in southwest Germany were from 1561 to 1670. [73]