Germany Was Ground Zero for Europe's Crazed Witch Hunt

In the United States, we hear witches and think Salem, Massachusetts. But religions had been hunting witches long before Salem, and that hunt peaked in Germany.

Here in the United States, when we think of witches we think of Salem, Massachusetts. This quiet, Puritan port town became the epicenter of paranoia and panic around the presence of witches and witchcraft on the American continent in the late 1600s.

But Salem’s witch-hunt was a just an export from a longer standing religious crusade in Europe that started in the 1300s. Some believe changing climate and natural disasters were what fueled the hunt for witches. Others believe it was seeded in a contest between Catholics and Protestants. Regardless, over five hundred years of witch hunt paranoia would ravage Europe and result in 80,000 people tried as witches. 

Across the Atlantic, one hundred years prior to the Salem Witch Trials, the global witch-hunt epicenter reached Germany. In a small settlement of St. Maximin, a woman pled guilty of witchcraft under torture, along with two women she also implicated. They would be burned at the stake - as many accused witches were - and set in motion a purge of over 500 witches in the 2,200 person community over the next two decades.

What Fueled the Hunt for Witches in Germany?

Weather had turned against Europeans villagers. The Little Ice Age had settled in leaving the climate cooler and damper. So too did floods, frosts, hailstorms and pests. Crops suffered. And as is the case when food scarcity occurs, inflation and disease soon followed. 

Witchcraft was often blamed for ecological disasters. It was an easy target and for groups of people who were either angry or scared, or in most cases, both - witchcraft and the hunt of witches became a unifying force. In a witch, they found someone to blame and a reason to rally around one another to combat their fear and anger.

Religion is also believed to have sparked the witch-hunt that tore through Germany in the 1500s. Referred to by Voltaire as a region that was “neither holy, nor Roman, nor an empire,” Germany was the ideal battleground for a religious contest (think swing states in the battle between Republicans and Democrats today). 

Though the Catholic Church had secured itself as the preeminent religion across Europe, in the 1500s, the German monk John Luther had blasted the Catholic Church for exploitative practices. Meanwhile, Ulrich Zwingli and John Calvin began seeding the ideas that would fuel Protestant reformation. 

Fast forward a half of a century and several German princes had converted to Lutheranism, an up and coming religion that rivaled Catholicism. The Peace of Augsburg went into effect which not only decriminalized Lutheranism, it sparked violence as princes began fighting for their religion. 

Catholics and Protestants Rivals Go Toe to Toe

Just as Republicans and Democrats, or Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts would, the Catholics and Protestants began vying for memberships across Germany. Looking for ways to appeal to prospective members, the religion’s each began highlighting what set them apart from their rival. And with ongoing climate irregularities and social tensions, an obvious way to gain favor was to offer protection from Satan and those at his right hand - witches. 

Lutheranism was always extremely wary of witches. Luther himself had approved the execution of four women accused of witchcraft. John Calvin was on record asking officials to wipe out the ‘race of witches.’ Catholics, who for centuries had never paid any real attention to witches, quickly realized the elimination of witches was a popular movement. 

Witches became public enemy number one and from the early 1500s through the mid-1600s, Germany was ground zero. During this time, the contest between Catholics and Protestants was at its peak. Two-thirds of witch trials conducted occurred during this time period. Of the estimated 40,000 people executed for witchcraft during this time, it is believed 40% died in Germany. 

Preying On Paranoia

For many years, the witch hunts were often painted as rampant paranoia and irrationalism. The images of villagers wielding pitch-forks and moving from village to village purging it of anyone accused of witchcraft are what often comes to mind. And this imagery is likely accurate.

However, it seems more and more likely that the fear many faced as a result of climate challenges, famine, and disease became tinder - tinder for competing religions seeking to gain dominance. As a right hand to Satan, witches became the scapegoat. 

Masses of scared people turned to the religious institution they trusted most to protect them. They invested their time and money into those institutions and in return, religious leaders helped to rid their villages of accused witches. 

The violence in Europe would start to subside following the Peace of Westphalia, a series of treaties executed in 1648. Shortly after, the religious wars across Europe began to subside. Less than fifty years later, the American sample of paranoia and fear of witchcraft that ravaged Germany and much of Europe erupted in a small Massachusetts village. 

History for the Hurried:

October 11, 1521: King Henry VIII of England is dubbed “Defender of the Faith” by Pope Leo X following the publication of the King’s book against Martin Luther.

October 12, 1492: After 33 days at sea, Christopher Columbus reaches the New World, landing in the Bahamas.

October 13, 1775: Anchors Away! The United States Navy is born following the Second Continental Congress’ authorization to create a fleet of ships.