Introduction

The Witch Craze in Britain, Europe and North America, 1500-1700

In this course, Robin Briggs (University of Oxford) explores the witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, looking in particular at Germany, England, Salem and the Duchy of Lorraine. As we move through the course, we think about the nature of the witch craze, its causes and its impact, as well as the similarities and differences between each of the four regions.

Introduction

In this module, we are concerned with setting some of the ground-rules for the study of the witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America between 1500-1700, focusing in particular on the distinction between popular beliefs about witchcraft and the legal history of the phenomenon, the origins of beliefs about witches, and the extent of the persecutions, beginning with the earliest trials in the 14th and 15th centuries.