The Catholic CounterReformation continued to prosecute alleged witches from "summary" of Religion and the Decline of Magic by Keith Thomas
The Catholic Counter-Reformation saw a continuation of efforts to root out and punish those accused of practicing witchcraft. This period marked a heightened sense of religious fervor and a desire to combat what was perceived as a threat to the Church. The Inquisition, an institution tasked with maintaining orthodoxy within the Catholic Church, played a significant role in the prosecution of alleged witches. Its agents were zealous in their pursuit of those suspected of engaging in acts of sorcery, using a range of methods to extract confessions and secure convictions. The Counter-Reformation era was characterized by a deep-seated fear of the supernatural and a belief in the existence of malevolent forces at work in the world. This fear was fueled by a combination of religious doctrine and popular superstition, leading many to view witchcraft as a real and present danger. The Church's response to this perceived threat was to crack down on those b...
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