Senaka Weeraratna

Several notable Germans, including legal scholars, physicians, and theologians, courageously spoke out and acted against the unjust persecution of witches in Europe, often at great personal risk

Key figures include:

• Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld (1591–1635): A Jesuit priest and professor, Spee was one of the most influential critics of the witch hunts in Germany. His book Cautio Criminalis (Precaution in Criminal Cases), published in 1631, argued powerfully against the use of torture (which he had witnessed extensively as a confessor to accused women) and highlighted the inherent injustices and irrationality of the trials. He argued that there was no empirical evidence for the allegations of witchcraft and that innocent people were being forced to confess through extreme cruelty.
• Johann Weyer (1515–1588): A German physician and occultist, Weyer (or Wier) was a significant voice against the persecutions. In his 1563 book De praestigiis daemonum (On the Illusions of the Demons), he argued that many so-called witches were mentally disturbed and that their confessions of having sexual relations with the devil or flying were the result of delusions. He objected to the use of torture on such individuals, challenging the legal abuses of the time.
• Anton Praetorius (1560–1613): A German Calvinist pastor and theologian, Praetorius was a vocal opponent of the witch trials. In 1598, he published Gründlicher Bericht von Zauberey und Zauberern (Thorough Report on Witchcraft and Witches) under a pseudonym, protesting the cruelty of the hunts and explicitly arguing against the torture and burning of people accused of witchcraft.
• Georg Haan and Adam Haan: As city councilors in Bamberg, they attempted to put a stop to the mass witch trials in the 1620s. Georg Haan pointed out that city funds were needed for the Thirty Years’ War rather than persecutions. Both men, however, were subsequently arrested, tortured, and executed for their opposition, which initially served to intensify the witch hunt. Georg Haan managed to smuggle a letter out of prison to his daughter, declaring his innocence and describing how torture had forced him to confess and name accomplices.
• Dietrich Flade (d. 1589): The chief judge of the electoral court and rector of the University in Trier, Flade opposed the persecutions, doubted the use of torture, and treated the accused with leniency. He was consequently arrested, tortured, strangled, and burned at the stake himself, effectively silencing local opposition for a time. 
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These individuals, among others, provided crucial legal, ethical, and theological arguments that contributed to the eventual decline of the witch hunts in Germany and Europe as Enlightenment ideas and stronger central legal authorities gained prominence in the late 17th and 18th centuries. 

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The History of German Witchcraft

The History of German Witchcraft

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• Protests against early modern witch trials – Wikipedia

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• Trier witch trials – Wikipedia
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• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trier_witch_trials

One of the victims was Dietrich Flade, rector of the university and chief judge of the electoral court, who was in opposition to t..

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The horrific witch trials of Trier #fyp #learnontiktok #history #halloween #spooky #witch #education

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