!!!Hexenverfolgung

Witch-hunting: Persecution on grounds of the "crime of witchcraft" was 
mostly directed against women and only to a minor extent against men. 
The principal reasons for persecution were the belief in "black 
magic", the exercise of supernatural powers for evil purposes, the 
teachings of misogynous theologians, penal practices (torture) and 
social motives (fear, envy, greed). The first witchcraft trials 
started towards the end of the 15th century and increased in number by 
1580/90, reaching a peak in Austria, unlike Western Europe, in 1680. 
After 1700 witch-hunting declined rapidly (the last execution took 
place in Salzburg in 1750). Under Maria Theresia witchcraft and magic 
were still criminal acts, at least in theory, but were no longer 
mentioned in the Penal Law of 1783. Trials were based on the penal law 
of the day and were held by secular courts. The most frequent charges 
were association with the devil and weather sorcery. Most affected 
were the rural population and especially the marginalised and 
underprivileged. Records concerning the number of victims are 
incomplete and estimates vary greatly from region to region. In the 
Duchy of Styria approximately 820 persons involved in witchcraft 
trials were recorded between 1546 and 1746. The largest series of 
trials took place in Salzburg between 1675 and 1690, when 198 
individuals were arrested and 138 executed, including 56 boys aged 9 
to 16 years.

!Literature
S. Lorenz (ed.), Hexen und Hexenverfolgung im deutschen 
Suedwesten, 1994; H. Valentinitsch (ed.), Hexen und Zauberer, 
exhibition catalogue, Riegersburg 1987; E. Zoellner (ed.), Wellen der 
Verfolgung in der oesterreichischen Geschichte, in: Schriften des 
Instituts fuer Oesterreich-Kunde 48, 1986.


%%language
[Back to the Austrian Version|AEIOU/Hexenverfolgung|class='wikipage austrian']
%%

[{FreezeArticle author='AEIOU' template='Lexikon_1995_englisch'}]
[{ALLOW view All}][{ALLOW comment All}][{ALLOW edit FreezeAdmin}]