
The Witch Hunts
A History of the Witch Persecutions in Europe and North America
Robert Thurston(Author)
Routledge (Publisher)
2nd Edition
Published on 18. December 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-4058-4083-5 (ISBN)
Description
Tens of thousands of people were persecuted and put to death as witches between 1400 and 1700 - the great age of witch hunts. Why did the witch hunts arise, flourish and decline during this period? What purpose did the persecutions serve? Who was accused, and what was the role of magic in the hunts? This important reassessment of witch panics and persecutions in Europeand colonial America both challenges and enhances existing interpretations of the phenomenon. Locating its origins 400 years earlier in the growing perception of threats to Western Christendom, Robert Thurston outlines the development of a 'persecuting society' in which campaigns against scapegoats such as heretics, Jews, lepers and homosexuals set the scene for the later witch hunts.
He examines the creation of the witch stereotype and looks at how the early trials and hunts evolved, with the shift from accusatory to inquisitorial court procedures and reliance upon confessions leading to the increasing use of torture.
He examines the creation of the witch stereotype and looks at how the early trials and hunts evolved, with the shift from accusatory to inquisitorial court procedures and reliance upon confessions leading to the increasing use of torture.
Reviews / Votes
"comprehensive account of one of the most malign periods in Eureopean history" - Glasgow Herald`Lively and readable. It is written in a style as personal and attractive as any I have encountered...It has just the right balance of magisterial detachment and personal insight.'
Ronald Hutton, Universityof Bristol
6 page feature article on book in History Today, November 2006
More details
Edition
2nd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
391 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4058-4083-5 (9781405840835)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
11/2015
2nd Edition
Routledge
€215.74
Shipment within 10-20 days

E-Book
11/2013
2nd Edition
Routledge
€53.99
Available for download

E-Book
11/2013
2nd Edition
Routledge
€53.99
Available for download
Person
Robert Thurston is Professor of History at the Universityof Miami.
Content
Introduction 1. New fears in Europe: 700-1500 2. Toward the Witch Pyres: Images and Realities of European Women to 1500 3. The Spread of the Witch Trials 4. Victims and Processes 5. The Decline and End of the Hunts Conclusion