5 terrible incidents of burning witches in history

"Witch Hunt" is now just an ordinary term associated with bandits or criminals, which nowadays can not be found. This is all due to false accusations and exaggeration. This (obviously) comes from a real witch hunt, which was practiced earlier. Of course, it's now easy to discredit those past actions, and this witch hunt seems to be a thing of the past, but there are parallels that can be matched against our current problems. This must be remembered, otherwise we risk repeating such acts of unjust sentences.

The Basque witches

The hunt for the Basque witches took place in Spain during the Inquisition (in the 17th century), it was recognized as the largest and largest in the history of mankind. It is proved that more than 7000 people were burnt. It is unclear why the witch-hunt began, because before the trial began there was not a single report of witchcraft in the area. Many believe that all this came from the church, as it tried to suppress old customs and bring Catholicism to the world.

Figures amaze

There were several stages, for example, during the first of them 12 condemned witches were burnt. The hunt did not end there, it continued, and about 2000 people were caught. Many of them confessed that they are witches, and told that there are about 5000 people who were engaged in the same craft. Almost all people who later confessed said that their testimony was the result of torturous torture.

Witches of Berwick

The trials of witches in North Berwick began in the late 1500s and lasted more than two years, as a result of which 70 people were accused of committing a "deal with the devil." It began when King James VI, returning home from Denmark, fell into a violent storm. The officer on the ship blamed the bad weather, which was allegedly the result of witchcraft. After that, witch-hunt was declared in Denmark, but subsequently the involvement of women from Scotland was proved, where the executions continued. It was there that the greatest witch-hunt was conducted. First, one person was tortured. No matter how hard he tried to justify himself, he eventually confessed to being involved in witchcraft, and then called all the other "conspirators". Many were accused and burned at the stake only because King James VI had a hectic trip to Denmark.

Matthew Hopkins

This is one of the most experienced witch hunters in all history. It is believed that Hopkins and his team are involved in more than 60% of the witch executions in England (the period from 1644 to 1646). It is known that Hopkins began his campaign after he overheard the conversation of women who discussed their meetings with the devil. He did not use the usual torture to get confession from the women he accused. Torture was illegal in England, so he developed his own ways of identifying witches. He deprived the accused of sleep, and to get confessions tingled the accused with a blunt knife. If the wounds did not bleed, then the woman was recognized as a witch.

He also used the method of navigation, which was as follows: if the accused could safely swim out from under the water, then he was guilty. But for this trial the accused was tied to a chair and thrown into the lake. Another distinguishing feature was the so-called sign of the devil. Usually it is a birthmark or birthmark, but if there were no such suspects on the body, Hopkins believed that he might still have some "invisible" signs. Hopkins died in 1647, most likely from tuberculosis. But many believe that Hopkins was subjected to his own swimming test, and then executed, as well as witches, but there is not enough evidence to confirm this claim.

Witch Hunt in Pendle Hill

In 1612, in a quiet place in Pendle Hill, a witch-hunt was declared, which then continued throughout England. It began when Alison Worth asked a simple trader named John Lowe about his pin, which she saw on his clothes. John refused to admit why he needed a pin, and soon after that he was paralyzed. He explained that this is witchcraft, and it's all the work of Alison. She eventually admitted that she had made a deal with the devil. Then Alison accused many more women of being powerful witches too. Charges continued to come from everywhere, and 19 people were eventually arrested for witchcraft. Of these, 10 people were executed for witchcraft, and this was the beginning of a great witch-hunt throughout England. Pendle Hill is considered the most mystical place in England, as there are many things in this area that were associated with witches.

Salem Witches

The Salem burnings are probably the most famous of all the witch hunts on this list and remain a reminder of what can happen if hysteria comes from society. The story is related to 11-year-old Abigail Williams and 9-year-old Betty Peris who experienced seizures considered too extreme for normal epileptic seizures. The doctor did not find any physical ailments and noticed similar strange behavior in other girls from their environment. A group of poor girls accused three women - Sarah Goode, Sarah Osborne and Tituba - that they tortured them. These three women were recognized as social outcasts, according to the adopted bill they were considered "ordinary suspects". From that moment the situation began to get out of control, and by the end of May 1693, 20 people were executed. These burnings remain a reminder of what can happen when religious extremism and false accusations spread in society.