In ancient times, women were often killed for suspicion of witchcraft. Back in Babylon 2000 BC. the death penalty was used for magic. Witches were also negatively treated in ancient times. However, the executions were sporadic. In medieval Europe, "witches" began to be destroyed massively and brutally.
Bonfires blazed almost in all corners of Western Europe from the 15th to the 17th century. The Inquisition was awake. Everyone was actively looking for witches to kill them later. They killed not only women, but also men. Even children were burned. What is the reason?
According to historians, mass hysteria was associated with a disastrous economic situation. Residents gradually became poorer, epidemics and crop failures began. It is known that many 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 the accomplices of the devil - witches. Religion used to be taken very seriously and priests were used to believing in words. Therefore, the inhabitants of Europe instantly blamed the witches for all their problems. There was an opinion that the more it is possible to destroy the accomplices of the devil, the happier life will become.
In the 12-13 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 became more complicated after the release of the bull about witches, which was written by Innocent 8. They began to kill accomplices of the devil in all cities of Europe. The Inquisition in Germany worked with special diligence.
There was even some kind of competition. Judges from different countries and cities competed among themselves in the number of those executed. Anyone who was even slightly different from the majority could be burned. The most beautiful and the most terrible, the fattest and the thinnest, the blind and crippled, were executed. One small denunciation was enough to burn a person. If a neighbor's pig died, then soon the inquisition will come to the woman who lives nearby.
But not only the clergy distinguished themselves. Even ordinary residents could execute witches. A case was recorded when a soldier acted as a judge at the execution. And the peasants were the jurors. It got to the point that denunciations began to write about 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 wood was used to burn witches.
Reasons for the burning of witches
In addition to economic problems and people's anger, there were other reasons. Some historians believe that by burning witches, priests fought leprosy. Indeed, as evidence of guilt were the "marks of the devil" (skin lesions) found on the body.
It is believed that witches were burned in an attempt to destroy feminism, which was just beginning to emerge. As an example, historians cite the execution of Jeanne d'Arc. She was burned on charges of witchcraft.
Conclusion
Over time, the level of education began to grow. Living conditions have gradually improved. The level of medicine has grown. All the oddities of the body began to be explained scientifically. All this led to the complete cessation of trials. Women were no longer burned on suspicion of witchcraft. Subsequently, executions were prohibited by law.
The last witch was burned in 1860. It happened in Mexico. According to historians, over 80,000 people were executed during the entire witch-hunt era.
