| HISTORY OF WITCHES |
900ca- Canon Episcopi
1233- First Papal ordinance directly dealing with witchcraft- Bull by Pope
Gregory IX (Ugolino, Count of Segni), to Conrad of Marburg, bidding him to
proceed against the Luciferians. July 30 of that year, Conrad of Marburg
murdered on the highway in pursuit of his duties.
1258-, Bull by Pope Alexander IV (Rinaldo Conti), to Franciscan Inquisitors,
bidding them refrain from judging any cases of witchcraft unless there was some
very strong reason to suppose that heretical practice could also be amply proved.
1431-, May 30, Joan of Arc burned at the stake in Rouen.
1459-, The horrors of Vlad Dracula , The Impaler.
1484- December 9 The Bull of Innocent VIII, decreeing Inquisitors Sprenger
and Kramer, authors of Malleus Maleficarum-, rights to "be empowered to
proceed to the just correction, imprisonment, and punishment of any persons,
without let or hindrance, in every way as if the provinces, townships, dioceses,
districts, territories, yea, even the persons and their crimes in this kind were
named and particularly designated in Our letters."
1485ca- Inquisitor of Como
1486- Maximilian I, Emperor of Germany and King of the Romans signs papers
in Brussels giving permission to Sprenger and Kramer to carry out their duties,
and commanding cooperation with them.
1493-1541 Paracelsus. Physician who claimed that everything he learned came
from an old witch.
1515-1588 Weyer, Johan. Born in Brabant (Belgium). German physician.
Believed most witches were melancholy mentally disturbed old women, incapable
of harm. Believed that the belief in witchcraft was caused by the devil. in 1563
wrote De Praestigiis Daemonum. Was forced out of Netherlands by the Catholic
Governor, Duke of Alba. His book was denounced by Jean Bodin.
1529-1596 or 1530-1590 Bodin, Jean. French Judge. In 1580 writes De la
Demonomanie des Sorciers . Claims that those who denied the existance of
witches were themselves witches.
1530-1616- Remy, Nicholas. French Lawyer fighting against witches. In 1595
writes Demonaltry and sites 128 cases.
1566- The Chelmesford witches
1566-1625- King James VI of Scotland aka James I of England
1584- Publication of The Discoverie of Witchcraft-, by Reginald Scot,
suggesting that maybe witches don't really exist.
1590-1591- The North Berwick Witches.
1604-1611- The blood secret of Countess Elizabeth Bathori of Transylvania-
1608- Publication of Compendium Maleficarum-, by Francesco Maria Guazzo
1628- July 24 Letter- written by Johannes Junius to his daughter before his
execution for witchcraft.
1611- The Basque Trials of 1611. They were trials where the Spanish Inquisition
wanted to do the usual burn the witches as heretics, when an inquisitor by the
name of Antonio Salazar de Frias stepped in and after much deliberation and
methodical research into the stories of witchcraft, decided that the men and
women charged were under a form of mass hysteria and were protecting each
other, that "witches" were not harmful, merely delusional and needed help, not
condemnation. There is a book called The Witches' Advocate: Basque Witchcraft
and the Spanish Inquisition, 1609-1614 avaliable from amazon.com which covers
this event in fascinating detail.
1657- March, Jennette Huart-and others strangled and burned as witches in
Sugny, Belgium. Read about it in in French or in English
1645-1692-The New England witch trials, including that of Margaret Jones
1662- The trial of Amy Denny and Rose Cullender of Lowestoft who were tried
as witches and executed at Bury St Edmunds in March 1662.
1663-1728 Mather, Cotton- defends the trials and executions in New
England. In 1689 writes Memorable Providence Relating to Witchcrafts and
Possessions
1692- Salem Witch Trials: 5 hung on July 19 - August19, -five were hung, on
September 22, another 8. (a dog was also executed.)
1782- Last witch burned in Europe.
1782- Anna Goeldi, hanged at Glaris in Switzerland, June 17, -1782.
1792- The last trial and judicial execution in Europe itself was probably that of
two aged beldames, Satanists, who were burned at the stake in Poland,
1793-, the year of the Second Partition, during reign of Stanislaus Augustus
Poniatowski.
1920- Joan of Arc declared a saint.
1929- Montague Summers writes introductions for old books used for
Inquistion(available from Dover), praising their works.
Today- rural/tribal men, women and children (even entire families) are accused
and burned as witches by frenzied communities. It is not limited to women, the
sad fact is that whole families are lynched for bad crops and "traditional" witch
works.
1233- First Papal ordinance directly dealing with witchcraft- Bull by Pope
Gregory IX (Ugolino, Count of Segni), to Conrad of Marburg, bidding him to
proceed against the Luciferians. July 30 of that year, Conrad of Marburg
murdered on the highway in pursuit of his duties.
1258-, Bull by Pope Alexander IV (Rinaldo Conti), to Franciscan Inquisitors,
bidding them refrain from judging any cases of witchcraft unless there was some
very strong reason to suppose that heretical practice could also be amply proved.
1431-, May 30, Joan of Arc burned at the stake in Rouen.
1459-, The horrors of Vlad Dracula , The Impaler.
1484- December 9 The Bull of Innocent VIII, decreeing Inquisitors Sprenger
and Kramer, authors of Malleus Maleficarum-, rights to "be empowered to
proceed to the just correction, imprisonment, and punishment of any persons,
without let or hindrance, in every way as if the provinces, townships, dioceses,
districts, territories, yea, even the persons and their crimes in this kind were
named and particularly designated in Our letters."
1485ca- Inquisitor of Como
1486- Maximilian I, Emperor of Germany and King of the Romans signs papers
in Brussels giving permission to Sprenger and Kramer to carry out their duties,
and commanding cooperation with them.
1493-1541 Paracelsus. Physician who claimed that everything he learned came
from an old witch.
1515-1588 Weyer, Johan. Born in Brabant (Belgium). German physician.
Believed most witches were melancholy mentally disturbed old women, incapable
of harm. Believed that the belief in witchcraft was caused by the devil. in 1563
wrote De Praestigiis Daemonum. Was forced out of Netherlands by the Catholic
Governor, Duke of Alba. His book was denounced by Jean Bodin.
1529-1596 or 1530-1590 Bodin, Jean. French Judge. In 1580 writes De la
Demonomanie des Sorciers . Claims that those who denied the existance of
witches were themselves witches.
1530-1616- Remy, Nicholas. French Lawyer fighting against witches. In 1595
writes Demonaltry and sites 128 cases.
1566- The Chelmesford witches
1566-1625- King James VI of Scotland aka James I of England
1584- Publication of The Discoverie of Witchcraft-, by Reginald Scot,
suggesting that maybe witches don't really exist.
1590-1591- The North Berwick Witches.
1604-1611- The blood secret of Countess Elizabeth Bathori of Transylvania-
1608- Publication of Compendium Maleficarum-, by Francesco Maria Guazzo
1628- July 24 Letter- written by Johannes Junius to his daughter before his
execution for witchcraft.
1611- The Basque Trials of 1611. They were trials where the Spanish Inquisition
wanted to do the usual burn the witches as heretics, when an inquisitor by the
name of Antonio Salazar de Frias stepped in and after much deliberation and
methodical research into the stories of witchcraft, decided that the men and
women charged were under a form of mass hysteria and were protecting each
other, that "witches" were not harmful, merely delusional and needed help, not
condemnation. There is a book called The Witches' Advocate: Basque Witchcraft
and the Spanish Inquisition, 1609-1614 avaliable from amazon.com which covers
this event in fascinating detail.
1657- March, Jennette Huart-and others strangled and burned as witches in
Sugny, Belgium. Read about it in in French or in English
1645-1692-The New England witch trials, including that of Margaret Jones
1662- The trial of Amy Denny and Rose Cullender of Lowestoft who were tried
as witches and executed at Bury St Edmunds in March 1662.
1663-1728 Mather, Cotton- defends the trials and executions in New
England. In 1689 writes Memorable Providence Relating to Witchcrafts and
Possessions
1692- Salem Witch Trials: 5 hung on July 19 - August19, -five were hung, on
September 22, another 8. (a dog was also executed.)
1782- Last witch burned in Europe.
1782- Anna Goeldi, hanged at Glaris in Switzerland, June 17, -1782.
1792- The last trial and judicial execution in Europe itself was probably that of
two aged beldames, Satanists, who were burned at the stake in Poland,
1793-, the year of the Second Partition, during reign of Stanislaus Augustus
Poniatowski.
1920- Joan of Arc declared a saint.
1929- Montague Summers writes introductions for old books used for
Inquistion(available from Dover), praising their works.
Today- rural/tribal men, women and children (even entire families) are accused
and burned as witches by frenzied communities. It is not limited to women, the
sad fact is that whole families are lynched for bad crops and "traditional" witch
works.
