Category: Witchcraft
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Trier: The World’s Worst Witch Hunts?
One of the most characterising events of the Early Modern period in Europe were the hunts against people perceived to be witches. It is estimated that anywhere up to 100,000 witch trials may have taken place during this time, with further estimates that between half and two-thirds of these people were executed for their supposed…
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Did Gertrude Courtenay accuse Anne Boleyn of witchcraft?
Today on Just History Posts I am very excited to be hosting Sylvia Barbara Soberton on her blog tour for her new book, Ladies-in-Waiting: Women Who Served Anne Boleyn. Sylvia is a writer, historian and researcher specialising in the history of the Tudors and I actually had the pleasure of interviewing her two years ago.…
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The Malleus Maleficarum: The Hammer of Witches
The Early Modern witch hunts that so characterise our modern knowledge of Europe and the American Colonies, particularly in the 17th century, have captured the popular imagination for centuries. Infamous trials like that at Salem continue to lure our attention today, and our obsession with witchcraft and magic still permeates our literature, films, and television…
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Royal Witches: From Joan of Navarre to Elizabeth Woodville
As the author of Just History Posts, I have very exciting news to share with you all: I have written a book! It will be released on 1st October 2019 by the History Press, but it is available now for pre-order! *update – out now!* The book is called Royal Witches: From Joan of Navarre to…
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The Pendle Witches: ‘The Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Lancaster’
The study of ideas of magic and witchcraft in the medieval and early modern period has always been of some general interest to me, with popular cases such as at Salem being in the general historical knowledge of most people. Since my Masters dissertation topic focused on witchcraft in the English royalty (Queen Joan of…
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Royal People: Queen Joan of Navarre’s Confinement as a Witch
As my blog has been up and running for just over 6 months now, I thought I would return to the topic of my Masters dissertation: fifteenth-century English royal witches. My first post here was about Eleanor Cobham, the aunt-by-marriage of Henry VI who in 1441 was scandalously tried for using witchcraft, with her accomplices…
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Royal People: Eleanor Cobham, Royal Witch?
I thought it only fitting to write my first post about one of the women my recent Masters dissertation focused upon. Eleanor Cobham was a woman who lived in England during the fifteenth century. In 1428, she married Humphrey, the Duke of Gloucester, who was one of Henry V’s brothers, and uncle to the current…
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