Here’s why. Megan Shore 13RG To what extent was the Scientific Revolution the cause of the decline of witch-hunts in Western Europe in the period 1560-1700? Furthermore the frequency of witch trials varied over time. The background. Also remember that not all accused witches were women. Like the Holocaust/Shoah/Final Solution (the attempted extermination of Jews and others by the Nazis in the mid-20th Century), the Witch Hunts demand some sort of explanation. Carol Karlsen, pointed out that “between 1645 and 1647, several hundred people had been hanged in the wake of England’s most serious witchcraft outbreak. In the 16th century the witch mania spread to England and Scotland. Witch-hunts, especially in Central Europe, resulted in the trial, torture, and execution of tens of thousands of victims, about three-quarters of whom were women. The European Witch Hunts A FEW centuries ago in Europe, the fear of witchcraft led to witch hunts and executions. We need you to answer this question! Arguably, neither before nor since have adult European women been selectively targeted for such largescale atrocities. In Western Europe the first witch hunts (in which large numbers of people were tried and convicted of witchcraft) were held in France and Germany in the 15th century. Before we examine the causes organized into categories in detail, some general characteristics may be … Medieval Witch Hunts. In Salem witch trials: Witch hunts. Ten Theories about the Origins of the Witch Hunts . There are many different theories about the root causes of the European witch hunts. Witchcraft: What Caused the Witch-Hunts in Early Modern Europe Early Modern Witchcraft. Witch hunts tended to correspond with ecological disasters and crop failures, along with the accompanying problems of famine, inflation, and disease. Yes, but Europe has believed that about women for centuries, so its a gross over-generalization to say that caused it. The European witch hunts have a long timeline, gaining momentum during the 16th century … The peak years of witch-hunts in southwest Germany were from 1561 to 1670. The witch-hunts, which had plagued Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries was on the decline in Western Europe by 1650, but the reason for this is difficult to identify. There are witch hunts in part of Sub-Saharan Africa. History of Witches: Women Targeted. Germany was once the witch-burning capital of the world. An accounting of all the contributing elements and their respective effectuality will likely never be fully elucidated, but it can be said for certain that the causes were many and complex. Gender played a significant role in the witch hunts that took place in Early-Modern Europe as well as in Salem. When control was restored, goes this theory, the witch hunts largely ceased.