The Witch Craze Of The Sixteenth And Seventeenth Centuries

Gender, race, age, and ability have been used to shape the history and our understanding of human sexuality, as well as how certain groups, specifically marginalized groups, were seen as degenerate or delinquent people. When examining why and how specific groups of people were though of as being sexual delinquents, it is important to use an intersectional lens, and consider how these different categories and identities of gender, race, age, and ability work together to form experiences and opinions. By marginalizing, controlling, and regulating the sexualities and bodies of those who were women, people of colour, adolescents, or differentially abled, the social norm of a white, heterosexual, patriarchy has been enforced through history. Throughout the history of humankind, women’s bodies and sexuality have been critiqued, chastised, and judged by society. During the witch craze of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, many women were accused of being evil beings. Over 6 0,000 women were wrongfully executed by their accusers . It was believed that woman who were midwives, challenged male authority, or were sexually promiscuous and given themselves to Satin and were now evil and immoral beings. The more â€Å"feminine† senses, touch, smell, and taste were often associated with being a witch . By accusing women who were sexual agents or who were associated with women’s bodies or sexuality (such as midwives) of being evil and executing them, men were able to use gender toShow MoreRelatedWitchcraft : The Causes Of The Salem Witch Trials1219 Words   |  5 PagesWitchcraft is the use of magical powers. Witchcraft is often regarded as â€Å"black† magic. The article called â€Å"The Salem Witch Trials: 1692-1693† states that â€Å"[s]ince the early fifteenth century, so-called witch panics had periodically swept across Europe, causing witch hunts, accusations, trials and executions† (â€Å"Salem† 1). Although some children and males were accused, the greater part of the arraigned individuals were female (â€Å"Salem† 1). A debatable amount of around forty thousand individuals wereRead MoreThe Myth Of The Witch1691 Words   |  7 PagesThe image of the witch did not exist until the late fifteenth century. While the witch did exist in the popular imagination, the term â€Å"witch† was not yet synonymous with â€Å"female.† Although the witch craze was an early modern phenomenon, the stereotype of the female witch is rooted in several elements of late medieval witchcraft which antedate the witch hunts, and the time period that scholars recognize as most critical for the formation of the witch lies between the years 1430 and 1660. Before thisRead More Comparing the Salem Witch Trials, European Witchcraft Craze and the McCarthy Hearings1708 Words   |  7 PagesComparing the Salem Witch Trials, European Witchcraft Craze and the McCarthy Hearings The evidence of witchcraft and related works has been around for many centuries. Gradually, though, a mixture a religious, economical, and political reasons instigated different periods of fear and uncertainty among society. Witchcraft was thought of as a connection to the devil that made the victim do evil and strange deeds. (Sutter par. 1) In the sixteenth, seventeenth, and twentieth century, the hysteria overRead MoreEuropean Witch Hunts 1350-Present Essay1327 Words   |  6 PagesIn order for history to repeat itself, it has to start somewhere right? The European witch hunts can be traced back to around 1450 and last well into the 18th century. The European witch hunts, much like the Salem witch trials happened because of rejection of rapid social, economic, and religious transformation. (Jones Gendercide Watch: European Witch Hunts). Often during times of rapid change it takes a while for reforms to be made or for citizens to adjust to the new arrangement. The result ofRead Mor eWitch Craze in Europe790 Words   |  4 PagesWitch craze in Europe during: the period of the Protestant Reformation, Catholic Counter-Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, and the consolidation of national governments from about 1480-1700 For more than two hundred years, individuals were persecuted as witches throughout the continent of Europe, even though the witch hunt was concentrated on Southwestern Germany, Switzerland, England, Scotland, Poland, and parts of France. In a collective frenzy. witches were sought, identified, arrestedRead MoreWomen During The Sixteenth And Eighteenth Century, Men And Women1509 Words   |  7 PagesIn the sixteenth and seventeenth century, men and women had designated roles. Men were the head of their households while women were given the domestic duties such as the taking care of the home and raising the children. This type of social order was translated into society as well. Men were the ones who held positions of power and made the rules that women were expected to follow. Men justified their dominating attitude towards women by pointing towards certain passages in the Bible. Biblical textsRead MoreHistory 101 Midterm Study Guide950 Words   |  4 PagesI.Religion and Politics Sixteenth and seventeenth centuries 1.Explain age Discovery and expansion i.Motives i.God, gold and glory. ii.Merchants, adventures, and government officials had high hopes of finding metals and new areas of trade ( access to the spices ) ii.Voyages i.European increased their resources and turned their energies beyond their boarders ii. Europe achieved a level of wealth and technology. iii.Maps and the axial rudder allowed more voyages for Europe iii.ImpactRead MoreWitchcraft, Germany : Margaretha Horber s Tale Of Witchcraft1755 Words   |  8 Pages1561-1652, is a collection of witchcraft narrative literature that took place in Rothenburg, Germany by Alison Rowlands. Margaretha Horber’s Tale of Witchcraft written in 1627 serves as an example of one account of a person who would be accused of being a witch due to her deviance against social as well as religious norms. Already we see this theme of individuals in society changing their attitudes towards another for minor infractions. As the story goes, â€Å"Margaretha did not make the progress in religiousRead MoreWitchcraft And Women : Evaluation Of Gender Theories3055 Words   |  13 Pageshave of ordinary women survive only because they were made by others: justices of the peace, clerks, doctors, and other exclusively male occupations. Even if we were the obtain some undiluted evidence from the hand of a genuinely average 16th-17th century female we could not forg et that they did not exist outside the context of the time and that their perception of the world and themselves would be shaped thus. An acute example is that of the 1586 Catholic martyr Margaret Clitheroe who was sentencedRead MoreThe Origins Of Christianity As A World Religion2485 Words   |  10 Pagesgrant the witch certain supernatural abilities such as the ability to be â€Å"invisible, to fly through the air, and steal Treasures and Jewels from the Colf’ers of Princes†¦ .† In some cases, the Devil was believed to be the Fairy Queen who would lead the Sabbat and grant witches magical powers. The belief that the devil â€Å"gave to certain persons supernatural power, which they might exercise at their pleasure†, was a prevalent throughout all Scotland during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. It did