Medieval History
A dark but iconic moment in U.S. history, the Salem witch trials of 1692, are taught in American schools to educate students about religious extremism and the judicial process. But the origins of witchcraft prosecution can be traced back to Europe centuries prior, when pre-Reformation courts first induced criminals to admit to heresy and witchcraft to exert social control through displays of harsh and often violent punishment.
Laura Stokes is an Assistant Professor in Stanford?s Department of History, whose work has mostly focused on the origins and prosecution of witchcraft in fifteenth century Europe. Her Ph.D. dissertation, which chronicled the rise of such persecution as well as its linkages to developments in judicial torture, has now been revised into a book, Demons of Urban Reform: The Rise of Witchcraft Persecution, 1430-1530.
Focusing on case studies from the European cities of Basel, Lucerne, and Nuremburg, Stokes? work examines the legal underpinnings of witchcraft persecution as well as the religious and esoteric influences that fueled it.
Click here to read this article from Stanford University
- Greed Wasn?t Good In The Middle Ages ? Historian Looks At Medieval Business Ethics
ith business and financial scandals common in today?s new headlines, the axiom ?Greed is good? often seems to be the working philosophy of many wealthy executives and businessmen. But greed hasn?t always been popular in Western societies. Stanford...
- New On Medievalists.net - January 4, 2011
Here are the posts added to Medievalists.net today: ?The king o fairy with his rout?: Fairy Magic in the Literature of Late Medieval Britain Charity Refused and Curses Uttered in Chaucer?s Friar?s Tale Orthodoxy versus Radicalism: Authorial Agenda in...
- Blog Forum 2: Witches, Warlocks, And Demons
I'll take moderator's privilege here for the 2nd post in our Blog Forum. Please comment/ discuss below. Or send longer responses directly to me and I'll be happy to add to the ongoing forum. Recently, there have been witch-hunts in rural...
- Hortulus
Hortulus: The Online Graduate Journal of Medieval Studies is happy to announce that that our fourth annual issue is now online! Our new issue showcases our top three articles by graduate students on magic and witchcraft from the Middle Ages to the early...
- Cfp The Devil In Society
*The Devil in Society in the Pre-modern World* 17 and 18 October 2008 Toronto, Ontario An international, interdisciplinary conference hosted by the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies at Victoria College in the University of Toronto Keynote...
Medieval History
Historian investigates the history of witchcraft prosecution
Laura Stokes is an Assistant Professor in Stanford?s Department of History, whose work has mostly focused on the origins and prosecution of witchcraft in fifteenth century Europe. Her Ph.D. dissertation, which chronicled the rise of such persecution as well as its linkages to developments in judicial torture, has now been revised into a book, Demons of Urban Reform: The Rise of Witchcraft Persecution, 1430-1530.
Focusing on case studies from the European cities of Basel, Lucerne, and Nuremburg, Stokes? work examines the legal underpinnings of witchcraft persecution as well as the religious and esoteric influences that fueled it.
Click here to read this article from Stanford University
- Greed Wasn?t Good In The Middle Ages ? Historian Looks At Medieval Business Ethics
ith business and financial scandals common in today?s new headlines, the axiom ?Greed is good? often seems to be the working philosophy of many wealthy executives and businessmen. But greed hasn?t always been popular in Western societies. Stanford...
- New On Medievalists.net - January 4, 2011
Here are the posts added to Medievalists.net today: ?The king o fairy with his rout?: Fairy Magic in the Literature of Late Medieval Britain Charity Refused and Curses Uttered in Chaucer?s Friar?s Tale Orthodoxy versus Radicalism: Authorial Agenda in...
- Blog Forum 2: Witches, Warlocks, And Demons
I'll take moderator's privilege here for the 2nd post in our Blog Forum. Please comment/ discuss below. Or send longer responses directly to me and I'll be happy to add to the ongoing forum. Recently, there have been witch-hunts in rural...
- Hortulus
Hortulus: The Online Graduate Journal of Medieval Studies is happy to announce that that our fourth annual issue is now online! Our new issue showcases our top three articles by graduate students on magic and witchcraft from the Middle Ages to the early...
- Cfp The Devil In Society
*The Devil in Society in the Pre-modern World* 17 and 18 October 2008 Toronto, Ontario An international, interdisciplinary conference hosted by the Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies at Victoria College in the University of Toronto Keynote...