Servants of Satan: The Age of the Witch Hunts

224 Pages·1985·30.745 MB·English

by  Joseph Klaits

Servants of Satan
This page intentionally left blank
Servants of Satan
The Age of the
Witch Hunts
Joseph Klaits
I
=
INDIANA
University Press
Bloomington & Indianapolis
This book is a publication of
Indiana University Press
601 North Morton Street
Bloomington, Indiana 47404-3797 USA
http://iupress.indiana.edu
Telephone orders 800-842-6796
Fax orders 812-855-7931
Orders by e-mail [email protected]
© 1985 by Joseph Klaits
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and record
ing,
or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in
writing from the publisher. The Association of American University
Presses' Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this
prohibition.
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI 239.48-1984.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Klaits, Joseph.
Servants of Satan.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Witchcraft-History. I. Title.
BF1566.K53 1985 909'.0982105
ISBN 0-253-35182-0 cloth
ISBN 0-253-20422-4 paperback.
11 12 13 14 15 08 07 06 05 04 03
For Frederick and Alexander
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Preface
1X
Introduction I
I. The Witchcraft Enigma 8
2. Medieval Witches 19
3· Sexual Politics and Religious Reform in the
Witch Craze 48
4· Classic Witches: The Beggar and the Midwife 86
S· Classic Accusers: The Possessed 104
6. In the Torture Chamber: Legal Reform and
Psychological Breakdown 128
1· An End to Witch Hunting 159
Notes 177
Bibliography 196
Index 207
This page intentionally left blank
Preface
This book is an extended essay, reflecting on and synthesizing the extensive
recent literature on the witch craze of the sixteenth and seventeenth centu
ries. The chapters began as a series of course lectures designed to help
bridge the gap between the interests of undergraduates and the concerns of
scholars. I owe a great deal to the students at Oakland University and
Catholic University of America whose questions and suggestions forced me
to clarify my thinking and improve the presentation.
Many others contributed comments on earlier chapter drafts or led me
to materials I otherwise might have overlooked. I especially want to thank
for their encouragement and good advice Donald Bailey, Jack Censer,
Richard Golden, B. Robert Kreiser, Lawrence Orton, Orest Ranum, Dan
Ross, and Timothy Tackett, and to acknowledge the invaluable assistance
of the late Marian Wilson. A grant from the National Endowment for the
Humanities and sabbatical and research support from Oakland University
gave me the leisure and resources necessary to complete the project.
Throughout the years of research and writing, this book has been a
family project in our household. It began when Alexander was small enough
to take witchcraft even more seriously than did his father. The writing ends
with Frederick old enough to do the bibliography. For their inspiration,
and for Barrie's, my deepest thanks.
Columbia, Maryland
April 1984
This page intentionally left blank