bamberg.

• What are the factors for causing a spread in bamberg?

  political and judicial issues, reformation/counter reformation, lack of legal framework, Holy Roman Empire and war.
• What was the Holy Roman Empire?

  feudal monarchy which comprises of modern day Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Czech and Slovak republic, east France, north Italy, Slovenia and west Poland. it was not united and therefore it was hard to rule. the emperor was Ferdinand II. the Carolina code gave freedom to villages and towns and many different regions and denominations lived together - catholics and protestants.
• What was the law code?

  Carolina code 1532 - said that witchcraft was a severe crime along with crimes like murder. those that were guilty were to be executed by fire. it does not specifically allow torture but what ti allow justice to be dealt with locally. it said trials should be done in public and they are allowed a lawyer, while confessions are backed up with evidence - but none of this happened in Bamberg. the code sets the framework for the hunt, but once it starts it is not followed.
• Who was the key prince bishop at the start of bamberg?

  von asschhausen - he invited jesuits to settle in bamberg where they founded catholic schools, while sending uncooperative priests to prisons know as priest vaults. in his time, he had around 300 witches executed, although he was not the first. he released a law in 1610 said anyone found practicing magic would be severely punished.
• How impactful was asschausen?

  yes/no - after his new law, in 1611 occult practices still continued - found at an old pagan shrine. catholics still thought protestants were connected to it. although hunting had died down to focus on the war, it still was happening. by 1623, von dornheim had been elected. BUT, he was very effective during counter-reformation.
• What was the counter reformation?

  started mid way through the 1500s - catholics wanted to gain faith back through territory and followers - led by prince bishops and the clergy was heavily anti-protestant.
• How were the catholics successful?

  a painting in catholic Zeil church showed how thy were victorious over protestants - Mary holds a chalice high while protestant clergy in black robes crouch with snakes in their mouth. proestsants also had wood supply restricted , and catholic troops guarded their villages, with anyone who opposed this was sent for exile (made by aschaussen!!).
• What caused the thirty years war?

  protestant and catholic tensions grew - in 1618, the defenestration of Prague occurred. this was when four catholic representatives sent by Ferdinand to Prague met protestant authorities and Count Thurn (leader). he became very angry with them, due to the chance they could be to blame for the halt on construction of protestant churches. count thurn kept 2 of them in the meeting and threw all 3 (nobles + secretary) out the window, which they survive the 70ft fall.
• How did Ferdinand come to be the emperor?

  The Hasburgs had controlled Bohemia since 1526, and then Rudolf III became emperor by 1576. at this time, protestants had increased rights and more autonomy. Rudolf was succeeded by younger brother Matthias in 1612. Matthias gave way to Ferdinand (cousin), as he showed no interest in the counter-reformation. he became king of Bohemia in 1617 and emperor in 1619.
• How did this impact conflict in Bamberg?

  foreign armies became involved - nearly 150,000 swedes and 100,000 Danes fight for Protestants. from 1635, France joins the anti-hasburg alliance and the war became less religious and more violent - started to be more about the rivalry between French and hasburgs.
• How was the economy impacted from war?

  famine (caused from armies stepping on crops) caused soldiers to beg and request food from villages and towns for supplies. in addition to this, crop failures and inflation were also happening, leading to increased fear of witches as there was so much misfortune.
• How were witches labelled?

  women with sexual behaviours that weren't allowed in the Catholic Church - Protestant belief that a priest shouldn't live a life of celibacy. those who's political and war attitudes differed from the catholic church. cunning folk were used as scapegoats!!
• What was the ice age?

  a period of regional cooling, peaking from 1560-1660. Hans Langham (zeil mayor) was executed for producing frost. Katharina merkhlerin admitted to being part of the plot to freeze crops - this happened in 1629, killing mainly the wine crop.
• How was the economy in bamberg?

  silver imports from the us began to decline around 1610, meaning copper was used more. money lost value and inflation increased. margaretha eissmennin admitted to coin flipping (cutting edges of coins to get excess metal), which forced her to turn to the devil. by the end of the war, debt was at 800,000 florins.
• What were the statistics and impact on gender?

  estimated between 600 to 900 were executed between 1623-1632. women were more likely - 73% brought to trial were woman. mass trials began in 1626 - starting in Zeil - in 1627, 130 suspects were brought from Zeil and only 45 escaped execution. Bamber differs in that most that were guilty were middle aged and not old - only 7 older women accused in Zeil. A 9 year old boy confessed to a plot with a devil named James (who had goat feet and horns) - such as freezing crops and killing livestock.
• Who were some victims of bamberg?

  Hans langham - confessed (by being torture in 1628) to being baptised by the devil in 1611. he admitted to the crops frosting too. also 17 different households on Lange gasse (Main Street in bamberg centre) were victims, who were all from well respected backgrounds.
• Who was key victim in this hunt?

  George Eder - son of a catholic reformer executed due to the fact he couldn't comprehend his accusation of being a witch as he was a counter reformation supporter, using this as his defence. this opposed trials and aided the devil.
• Who refused to convert?

  there was a clear anti-protestant them, so Catholics attempted to convert. this caused people to flee - Johann + George kauwer, who fled to Rome and their parents were executed.
• What was hereditary guilt?

  pattern where usually the father is accused, and this then drags the wife and children to be accused too.
• What is a key example of hereditary guilt?

  George hann - arrested for questioning the trial on the execution of his wife and daughter in 1628. became suspicious after petitioning the imperial court to intervene accused female cases. his execution helped people believe of his guilt.
• What is an example of hereditary guilt that kept continuing?

  Conrad merklein + Conrad orter - senior positions at town council of zeil, executed nov 1626. 2 months later orters wife and daughter were arrested. 1627, merklein's daughter was arrested, and eventually executed - her children were arrested too. her eldest son Hans claimed 2 servant girls persuaded him, and they were the devil in disguise. he was burned after his 15th birthday and the whole of both families were gone by 1629.
• How was property confiscation important?

  law allowed confiscation of witch property, which meant aiming for upper class. victims ere responsible for all costs! caused more hunting as it payed well and this like coachmen and blacksmiths benefitted well.
• What is an example of confiscation being beneficial?

  april 1631, 22 immatesheld for witchcraft with even a prince bishop treasurer too. they had confiscated around 500,000 in total (200,000 just from property) and George neudecker (bamberg mayor) paid 100,000 florins - kept for 3 years to get more money.
• What devices of torture were used?

  thumbscrews, strappado, burning women's hair, whipping, kneel on spiked plank, food with strong salt, or deprived of water and burning sensitive places.
• What is the high profile case of Bamberg?

  John Junius - by time of his arrest, he had served as mayor for 20 years and BEFORE the arrest in 1628 his wife has been executed. he was implicated by his wife's death + George Hann, along with priests too. Hann said he had seen John a year and a half earlier at a gathering in a council room.
• What did the Junius letter say?

  John smuggled the letter to his daughter (July 1628), explaining his innocence and that the torture compelled him to confess. he said he even begged an extra day to consider and speak to a priest, he was denied the priest but allowed another day to reflect - confessed after this and gave names. he said in his letter the executioner told him to confess and make up something because he couldn't escape.
• What was the typical confession content?

  a list of 101 questions were given but they commonly included night flights, oaths, list of evil deeds...
• Why was Bamberg widespread?

  torture, hereditary guilt or property confiscation.
• Who was a price bishop who was key to Bamberg?

  von dornheim - took advantage of a blame on supernaturals and built drudenhaus in 1627, which housed special torture chambers. he was known as a witch bishop.
• What was dornheim's impact?

  had children as young as 6 months tortured/killed, abused prisoners using sulphur, prison held 30-40 at one time.
• Who did dornheim hire and benefit from?

  Frederick former - deputy to dornheim. went to walzburg university and studied in Rome, then returning to bamberg to continue church and admin roles. published 25 sermons in 1625.
• What did forner believe?

  calvinism were allies to the devil, witches/protestants fail to respect events such as sacraments and church festivals. said by defeating one demonic force, this causes more lethal forces to start.
• How did dornheim and forner justify what they did?

  forner made an intellectual framework. he made a connection to disobedience and sin - the devil prays for mans disobedience, by obeying god this is a source of faith. due to the ddevil being violent, torture was necessary!!
• Was there sceptism before 1630?

  in 1628, they renewed a proclamation by dornheim in 1627. they suggested they were aware that a lot of accusations were not genuine.
• What case caused tension caused by dornheim's power?

  Dorothea flock - bamberg councillors wife, whom her husband had fled to nurembourg + as a result she was arrested. they both appealed to Ferdinand on her health + a newborn baby. dornheim posted a letter saying there was no concerns, he said George was dishonest + to not listen to him. another appeal was made to Ferdinand + the pope, they called for dornheim to call the trial. as he heard this rumour, he rushed to execute her in secret, beheaded then burnt.
• What did dorotheas case lead to?

  protests saying her trial was illegal to Ferdinand - no lawyer, judges never looked at witness credibility and torture not allowed as lack of evidence.
• Who became involved?

  imperial chamber court - complaints reached court in speyer with 2 escapees directly complaining to the emperor. in 1630, Ferdinand even wrote to dornheim very angrily, on Barbara swarz case (fled Vienna after escaping witch prison) criticising his use of torture. he demanded original copies but dornheim sent copies saying no arrests since June 1630 - this was discovered as a lie in march 1631, while a minimum of 25 people had been arrested since.
• What was the letter that caused dornheims downfall?

  George wilhelm dumler's letter - wrote by former administrator at st martins church, Bamberg.
• What did the letter say?

  said hundreds of people had suffered from torture and the naivety of the commission. there was never sufficient proof in trials to find people guilty. in 1628, his wife take to witch prison and tortured, causing her to miscarry and executed. Carolina allowed a lawyer but this was denied. was held by commissions in closed doors then civil courts.
• What was the result of this letter?

  June 1631, Ferdinand says he is punish those responsible for the trials. he appointed a new direction of commission, dr Anton winter. he decreed all trials should follow Carolina and property confiscation was forbidden. dornheim remains in bamberg, giving dr winter little support and sent a letter to Ferdinand that he was not going to release those in custody.