Trier 1581-1593
- Created by: hannahbrazell15
- Created on: 30-05-21 11:36
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- Trier 1581-1593
- One of the largest witch trials in European history
- Key People
- Johann von Schonenberg
- Ruling Prince-Bishop of Trier and newly appointed Archbishop
- He wanted to prove his loyalty to the Jesuits
- wanted to make Trier a purely Catholic state
- Responsible for the massacre of Trier
- Why they were able to persecute witches in such large numbers
- Built the Jesuit College
- had enough power to start a witch hunt
- Peter Binsfeld
- The suffragan (assistant) Prince-Bishop
- later wrote an influencial book on the danger of witchcraft and how best to deal with it
- Why they were able to persecute withes in such large numbers
- poor harvests caused harsh economic conditions
- pressure from below
- A long-standing power struggle between the Trier town council and the prince-bishop was decided in favour of the prince-bishop
- A newly-established Jesuit college supported his campaign against witchcraft
- The Jesuits kept custody of young boys who claimed they'd attended sabbats and were able to recognise witches
- poor harvests caused harsh economic conditions
- both wanted to make their stand and show their people their authority by showing that they would not put up with Protestants, Jews or witches.
- Johann von Schonenberg
- Ruling Prince-Bishop of Trier and newly appointed Archbishop
- He wanted to prove his loyalty to the Jesuits
- wanted to make Trier a purely Catholic state
- Responsible for the massacre of Trier
- Why they were able to persecute witches in such large numbers
- Built the Jesuit College
- had enough power to start a witch hunt
- Did not care about the class or gender of the accused, they were more focused on on removing all Jews, Protestants and witches
- Johann von Schonenberg
- Dr Dietrich Flade
- councillor to the Prince-Bishop, chancellor of the university, and chief judge of the electoral court
- In opposition to the persecutions and so became a victim despite being in upper class
- Accused by one of the Jesuit boys for attending a sabbat.
- Why they were able to persecute witches in such large numbers
- As chief judge of the electoral college, he had ultimate power as to who would be persecuted for witchcraft
- Johann von Schonenberg
- Almost 1/3 of the victims were nobility or held positions in the government or local administration
- Probably to prevent anyone of enough authority from going against Schonenberg
- When the rich were eventually starting to get accused, the authorities would confiscate them of their possessions, keeping them for themselves.
- Divided between Catholics and Protestants
- usual suspects at first
- When hunts gathered momentum, accusation spread to any age, gender, or wealth
- When the rich were eventually starting to get accused, the authorities would confiscate them of their possessions, keeping them for themselves.
- When hunts gathered momentum, accusation spread to any age, gender, or wealth
- Over 1000 died causing the population to shrink dramatically
- Torture
- Nicolas Fiedler
- One of the victims
- Former Mayor of Trier
- Fiedler was bound up, pulled up high, secured, and beaten to get a confession out of him
- His Confession: when his wife was ill, a black man appeared to him demanding him to renounce the Christ crucified, Mary and all the saints he'd named.
- He did this. 8 days later the devil came to him and said he must be off, and so he mounted a billy-goat and flew off with the Devil to dance and make merry. All who were there agreed to destroy wine and corn
- His Confession: when his wife was ill, a black man appeared to him demanding him to renounce the Christ crucified, Mary and all the saints he'd named.
- Torture was brutal and crucial for getting confessions, as well as new leads to allow the hunt to continue
- As more people confessed and gave names, these names began to be that of the higher class.
- Normally, authorities would get suspicious of the authenticity of the confessions and put a stop to the hunts, however this did not happen in Trier
- As more people confessed and gave names, these names began to be that of the higher class.
- Nicolas Fiedler
- Beliefs About Witches
- very different from your average person
- mysterious and dangerous
- the cause of harm and destruction such as failed harvests and storms
- worked closely with the Devil, conspired evil, and renounced God
- Met in secret at night
- very different from your average person
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