The witch hunts and witch trials that happened hundreds of years ago are some of the most infamous events that have happened throughout history.
Perhaps the most infamous witch trials were those that happened in Salem Massachusetts, in the United States of America. The Salem Witch Trials happened between 1692 and 1693. The European witch hunts and trials were already happening long before the Salem witch hunts took place - the Salem Witch Trials happened in the dying decades of the witch trials that were happening across Europe during the early modern era.
The witch-hunts were happening in Europe from 1450 to 1750. These witch-hunts resulted in the brutal deaths of both people and animals in Europe.
The witch-hunts in the early modern era of Europe, resulted in many different European countries having witch trials. These countries included - Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Scotland, England and many more. In England, the witch-trials resulted in the 'The Witchcraft Act 1542'. The Witchcraft Act 1542, was a law that King Henry VIII had passed. This law was passed in the final years of King Henry VIII's reign, as the Tudor monarch died in 1547. This resulted in Henry's son, Edward, becoming king of England - King Edward repealed the Witchcraft Act that his father had put in place. The witch trials didn't stop in England though at that point; they lasted from the 15th century to the 18th century in England. The witch trials in England resulted in hundreds of deaths, the vast majority of people persecuted and killed because of the witch trials, were women. In Scotland, there were different witchcraft acts. For example, the Scottish Witchcraft Act of 1563 was passed. This act resulted in witchcraft and associating with witches as a capital offence. It is estimated that witch trials and hunts were significantly higher in Scotland, compared to England - as it is estimated that there were thousands of people persecuted in Scotland for being witches.
King James VI of Scotland (James I of England), was perhaps the most notorious person in history to be associated with the witch hunts and trials. James was notoriouslysuperstitious ; his dark superstitious nature resulted in thisking's brutal witch hunts.
The Scottish king himself personally attended Scotland's first major witch trials; these witch trials were called the North Berwick witch trials. There was said to be between 70 to 200 women who were arrested and accused of being witches; these women were tortured upon their arrest and murdered - though the exact number of women persecuted in the North Berwick witch trials is unknown to this day. The witch hunts in Scotland were significantly worse than its neighbour England. While England was thought to have killed around 500 people (mostly women) of witchcraft, the death rate was 3 to 4 times higher in Scotland, as it is estimated that 3,000 to 4,000 women in Scotland were killed because they were accused of witchcraft. The Witchcraft Act 1735 During the height of the witch trials, Scotland and England were united in the union. The Act of Union 1707, united Scotland and England to form one country. The witch trials and witch hunts were still happening during this time, however, these hunts and trials were ending. The Witchcraft Act 1735, which was made law in the Kingdom of Britain, resulted in the killing of witches being outlaw in Britain. However, people could still be sent to prison for witchcraft. The last witch-hunting trials which happened in England were in 1717 in Leicester. The witch hunting trials seemed to put an end to people being killed in the name of witchcraft, however, women (largely) were still imprisoned for witchcraft up until very recent history, due to the Witchcraft Act 1735. Remarkably, Scotland's last witch was sent to prison in 1944! The persecution of women in the name of witchcraft, stopped in Britain when the Witchcraft Act of 1735 was repealed by the UK parliament in 1951.
The biggest amount of witch trials and hunts across Europe came between 1580 and 1630.
These witch hunts and trials happened in much of Europe. It is believed that men, women and even animals were killed as a result of the witch hunts. The vast majority of those killed in the name of witchcraft across Europe were women. And, most of these women were usually either middle-aged or elderly; they often lived alone too. These women were also poor and social outcasts. This resulted in the thousands of women (and some men), during the early modern era in Western Europe. It is estimated that as many as 200,000 people were killed, tortured and hanged as a result of being accused of witchcraft between 1484 and 1750. What Was The Reason For The Witch Hunts? A major driving force in the witch hunts and trials seemed to be misogyny : a hatred of women. The vast majority of those accused of witchcraft were women. It was believed that 80% of those persecuted and killed in the name of witchcraft in the early modern era, were women. This has resulted in people theorizing that the witch hunts which happened were driven bymisogyny. Another reason that people believe that the witch hunts happened, was due to mass hysteria and moral panic. Mass hysteria has been seen as the reason, specifically for the Salem witch trials. Other reasons for the witch hunts happening are - people not fitting in with the social and religious beliefs and ways of life at the time, persecution of elderly and old women. It seems likely that is was a combination of all of these things that resulted in the witch trials and hunts of the early modern era in history; rather than just one thing being responsible for them. The witch trials and hunts were one of Europe's most infamous and brutal events in history.
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Marie Antionette was executed on the 16th of October 1793, at the Palace de la Concorde, in Paris, France. Her husband - King Louis XVI - had been executed earlier that same year. Louis XVI was executed on the 21st of January 1793 at the Palace de la Concorde.
Louis was executed on the grounds of treason. He was accused of treason and betraying France, to Austria. Louis was King of France. But his rule as King of France ended with the French revolution and his execution. His wife, Marie Antionette, who was Queen of France, would face the same fate as her husband did. The Trial Of Marie Antionette
The trial of Marie Antionette only lasted for two days. It was a trial that took place between the 14th and 16th of October 1793. The trial was most likely a foregone conclusion, where it was just a trial for show and the sentence was predetermined before the trial had even begun.
Marie was convicted of high treason and sentenced to death. She was sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Tribunal. She faced the guillotine on the 16th of October 1793. The Execution Of Marie Antionette Marie Antionette was sentenced to death and executed on the same day. After she was sentenced, she had to change her outfit. She changed into a white dress. Marie was a Catholic and just before her execution, a priest heard he last confession.
Her execution happened early that day. The execution of Marie Antionette happened on the 16th of October 1793, at 12:15 pm.
On this day in history, Anne Boleyn recieved the title of Marquess of Pembroke.
What Is The Marquess of Pembroke? The Marquess of Pembroke was a title that King Henry VIII created for Anne Boleyn. Anne Boleyn received the title of Marquess of Pembroke on the 1st of September 1532. It was a title that was a peerage. A peerage is a title. The Peerage and Anne Boleyn When Anne Boleyn received the Marquess of Pembroke title, she was not yet married to Henry VIII. Instead, Anne Boleyn was engaged to the king. But, she was soon to become Henry VIII's second wife, and, Queen Consort of England. Henry and Anne married a few months after she was given the title of the Marquess of Pembroke. Both Henry and Anne married twice. The first time they married was in a secret ceremony on the 14th of November 1532. Then, just a few weeks later, the couple was married again on the 25th of January 1533.
Anne became pregnant that Winter. It's thought that Anne became pregnant in January 1533. Later that year, on the 7th of September 1533, Anne Boleyn successfully gave birth to a baby girl. That baby girl would be the future Queen Elizabeth I.
The birth of Elizabeth was the only successful heir that Anne Boleyn had given King Henry VIII. It is believed that her failure to produce a male heir for the king, was one of the main reasons for Boleyn's downfall. The Downfall Of Anne Boleyn The downfall of Anne Boleyn was dramatic and quick. She perhaps has one of the most, if not, thee most, spectacular downfall of an English monarch we have ever seen. Things seem to be going well for the new Queen Consort in January 1533. She was newlywed to the King of England, she was pregnant with the Kings heir, perhaps it may have seemed to her that she was invincible. But, she wasn't. It only took a few short years from when she received the Marquess of Pembroke title, to her downfall and execution. Anne Boleyn was executed on the 2nd of May 1536 by Henry VIII, just three years after she had been given the title of Marquess of Pembroke by the King. It shows how quickly her downfall came, and how quickly Boleyn fell out of favour with the King. Upon her death, it seems the title Marquess of Pembroke title was extinguished. Perhaps, probably for the best, as, who would want to inherit a title that seemed a bit ill-fated?
On this day in history, Mary I of England, or - Bloody Mary, as she was also known, was born on this day in 1516. Mary I of England was born on the 18th of February 1516. She was the eldest daughter of King Henry VIII, and the daughter of King Henry VIII's first wife: Catherine of Aragon.
Mary was not only the eldest daughter of Henry VIII, she was also Henry's eldest child. The King had two other legitimate children: Elizabeth and Edward. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife: Anne Boleyn. Elizabeth was born on the 7th of September 1533. Elizabeth, went on to become England's second female monarch. After the death of her sister Mary, Elizabeth became Elizabeth I and Queen of England. Henry VIII's third legitimate child, was his youngest child: Edward. Edward was born on the 12th of October in 1537, his mother was Henry VIII's third wife: Jane Seymour. Edward went on to become King Edward VI until his death. Edward was the first of the three siblings to become monarch after King Henry VIII died. Edward was not a long King, he only reigned as monarch from 1547 to 1553, until his premature death at just 15 years old. Edward VI was just a child when he became monarch of England. His siblings, on the other hand, were both adults when they became monarchs of England. Mary was the second of the three siblings to become monarch - Mary Tudor was 37 years old when she became Queen. And, Elizabeth was the last of the three siblings to become monarch: she became England's second Queen in history after Mary had died. Mary Tudor became England's first ever Queen in 1553. Mary Tudor became Mary I of England on the 1st of October 1553, when she was crowned Queen of England at Westminster Abbey. She became monarch after Lady Jane Grey made a claim to the English throne after the death of Edward VI. Lady Jane Grey was a distant relative of Mary's, which was partly Jane's claim to the English throne. However, after just nine days of Lady Jane Grey being de facto Queen of England, Mary removed her from power and later had her executed. Mary's claim to the English throne was that she was the sister of Edward VI's. Mary also had a legal claim to the English throne, due to the Third Act of Succession in 1543. Henry VIII passed the Third Act of Succession in 1543 to make it law that all three of his children - Edward, Mary and Elizabeth - had a right to become King or Queen. Edward was first in line to the throne, as he was Henry's male heir. Mary was second in line to the throne, as she was the eldest of the two sisters: Mary and Elizabeth. And, Elizabeth was last in line to the throne as she was the youngest of the two sisters. All three siblings ruled England. Mary Tudor's reign of England wasn't a long one, she was only Queen of England between the 1st of October 1553 until her death on the 17th of November 1558. Mary was only 42 years old at the time of her death, and only was Queen for around five years. Despite only being Queen for five years, Mary I of England did make her mark on history. Her reign started off with Mary executing her distant cousin - Lady Jane Grey - on grounds of treason. She then made a notable mark in history for becoming England's first ever female monarch. Perhaps most infamously, Mary I of England is and was known for her persecution of Protestants. As a Catholic, Mary was determined to restore Catholicism in England after her father - King Henry VIII, had turned England into a Protestant country. Mary's attempt to restore Catholicism in England and turn England back into a Catholic country is why she became infamous. Mary became infamous for the way that she went about trying to restore Catholicism to England: she persecuted Protestants and had them executed for nothing more than their faith. Mary's persecution of Protestants was cruel, and can be seen as a persecution of Protestants just because of their faith. She had hundreds of Protestants killed in a brutal way: Mary I of England had Protestants executed by being burnt at the stake, which is why she got the name 'Bloody Mary'. Although burning at the steak was a common method of punishment at the time for those who committed acts of 'heresy' in Europe, it's undoubtful that her primary motivation for burning people at the stake was due to the fact that they were Protestant, and not Catholic. Mary's reign may have been short, but she made her mark in history, more so for being, seemingly, blood-thirsty of those who didn't agree with her, rather than being more remembered for being England's first female monarch. Mary I of England was born on the 18th of February 1516,
On this day in history, Henry VIII became the leader of the Church of England.
On the 11th of February 1534, Henry VIII became the Supreme Head of the Church of England. King Henry VIII became the legal Supreme Head of the Church of England in 1534 with the passing of the 1534 Act of Supremacy. The 1534 Act Of Supremacy was passed by Henry VIII's parliament, the act granted Henry the legal right to rule the Church of England. But, it was not an act that solely was about giving Henry VIII the legal right to rule the Church of England, it was also an act that forced England's people to see Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn (the King's second wife) as his legitimate wife.
The Act of Supremacy in 1534 resulted in the English church breaking away from the Vatican. This resulted in the English Reformation - the English Church was no longer part of the Catholic Church when the Reformation happen, the Church of England became a Protestant Church and broke away from the Pope's authority.
The English Reformation resulted in the dissolution of England's monasteries and resulted in Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn becoming official.
On this day in history, an earthquake rocked Pompeii in 62 AD.
The earthquake that rocked Pompeii happened just several years before Pompeii's infamous volcano erupted: the Mount Vesuvius eruption happened in Pompeii during the 24th of August 79 AD and killed thousands of people in Pompeii upon the eruption. But it was not the only event to strike Pompeii. The earthquake that struck Pompeii occurred on the 5th of February 62 AD. The earthquake that struck caused a lot of destruction to the city of Pompeii itself, it caused buildings to collapse and water supplies to be disrupted in the city. The earthquake itself was said to shatter the city and aftershocks continued for days after the 5th of February 62 AD. It was an earthquake that was devastating for the city itself and its buildings, but it doesn't seem to have caused the same destruction to human life that Mount Vesuvius caused some 17 years later. During the Mount Vesuvius eruption it's estimated 15,000 lived in Pompeii.
Claudius became Roman Emperor on the 24th of January 41 AD.
Claudius became Emperor of the Roman Empire after his nephew - Caligula, died on the 24th of January 41 AD. Caligula was assassinated by the Praetorian Guard, he was only 29 years old at the time of his assassination. His assassination resulted in Claudius succeeding him to become Emperor of the Roman Empire. Claudius was the Emperor who expanded the Roman Empire. He went on to begin the conquer of Britain just two years after he became Emperor, in 43 AD. The Roman conquest of Britain would go on well after Claudius died in 54 AD. It took hundreds of years for the Roman conquest of Britain to die away - at around 425 AD, the colonization of Britain by the Romans had all but gone. The legacy of Emperor Claudius is that of being remember for the man who invaded Britain. Claudius himself set foot in Britain - he was in Colchester upon the initial invasion of Britain; he stayed in Britain a total of 16 days before leaving. Although Claudius did conquer Britain, he was not the first Roman Emperor to set foot there - Julius Caesar conquered Britain before him between 55 and 54 BC. Claudius was part of the 'Julio-Claudian Dynasty'. The Julio-Claudian Dynasty included five Roman Emperors, they were: Claudius, Tiberius, Augustus, Caligula and Nero. This dynasty ruled the Rome Empire from 27 BC until 68 AD. Fun fact: The full name of Claudius was 'Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus'.
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