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The European Witch-Hunt
The European Witch-Hunt seeks to explain why thousands of people, mostly lower-class women, were deliberately tortured and killed in the name of religion and morality during three centuries of intermittent witch-hunting throughout Europe and North America.
Combining perspectives from history, sociology, psychology and other disciplines, this book provides a comprehensive account of witch-hunting in early modern Europe. Julian Goodare sets out an original interpretation of witch-hunting as an episode of ideologically-driven persecution by the ‘godly state’ in the era of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. Full weight is also given to the context of village social relationships, and there is a detailed analysis of gender issues. Witch-hunting was a legal operation, and the courts’ rationale for interrogation under torture is explained. Panicking local elites, rather than central governments, were at the forefront of witch-hunting. Further chapters explore folk beliefs about legendary witches, and intellectuals’ beliefs about a secret conspiracy of witches in league with the Devil. Witch-hunting eventually declined when the ideological pressure to combat the Devil’s allies slackened. A final chapter sets witch-hunting in the context of other episodes of modern persecution.
This book is the ideal resource for students exploring the history of witch-hunting. Its level of detail and use of social theory also make it important for scholars and researchers.
Combining perspectives from history, sociology, psychology and other disciplines, this book provides a comprehensive account of witch-hunting in early modern Europe. Julian Goodare sets out an original interpretation of witch-hunting as an episode of ideologically-driven persecution by the ‘godly state’ in the era of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation. Full weight is also given to the context of village social relationships, and there is a detailed analysis of gender issues. Witch-hunting was a legal operation, and the courts’ rationale for interrogation under torture is explained. Panicking local elites, rather than central governments, were at the forefront of witch-hunting. Further chapters explore folk beliefs about legendary witches, and intellectuals’ beliefs about a secret conspiracy of witches in league with the Devil. Witch-hunting eventually declined when the ideological pressure to combat the Devil’s allies slackened. A final chapter sets witch-hunting in the context of other episodes of modern persecution.
This book is the ideal resource for students exploring the history of witch-hunting. Its level of detail and use of social theory also make it important for scholars and researchers.
452 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2010
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370 people want to read
About the author
Julian Goodare
20 books6 followersJulian Goodare is a Reader in History at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of State and Society in Early Modern Scotland (1999) and The Government of Scotland, 1560 - 1625 (2004). His edited books include The Reign of James VI (2000) (co-edited with Michael Lynch) and Sixteenth-Century Scotland: Essays in Honour of Michael Lynch (2008) (co-edited with Alasdair A. MacDonald).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 6, 2019
I feel quite honoured to be the first person to rate and review this book on Goodreads, so I hope I do this justice.
Goodare's history of European witches and witch-hunting shines an enlightening and fascinating light on the legitimate history of witches which, by the nature of sensationalization, has been grossly exaggerated over the years.
From misconceptions about the number of witches killed to the practices of proving witches (such as the float/sink trial), Goodare does an incredible job of delivering the realistic and factual elements of witchcraft whilst also explaining the contextualisation of not only the social mindset of those in the 16th-17th century (the period where most witch-hunting took place), but also the social mindset of those in the 20th-21st century who have strangely skewed, exaggerated and dramatised witchcraft and witch-hunting.
I'm incredibly grateful for what Goodare taught me. I learned so much about the academia responsible for formulating witchy terminology, the anti-Semitism underpinning many witching imageries; the significant impact commercialisation had on the termination of witchcraft; the role of religion and the divine state on the resurgence of witch-hunting; the shift from male to female subjugation when it came to magic; the linguistic and translation errors which, arguably, lead to many people believing witchcraft was mentioned in Exodus; and the select and very localised hysteria and paranoia in certain areas of Europe which resulted in witch-trials (there are some very concerning but darkly fascinating overlays between the paranoia of 16th century Europe and 21st century America... just saying).
I really loved how much I learned from this book. For a big read, I was grateful that I only found one chapter slightly sloggy (there were a lot of statistics about the reformation which I found hard to feel passionate about). Aside from that chapter, I adored all the others. I felt like a sponge absorbing so much cultural and political history that I'd never come across before. Goodare taught me about more than just witchcraft and witch-hunting; he taught me about the socio-political psyche and the academic zeitgeist of these periods.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in witchcraft, particularly those whose interest has been spurred entirely by skewed contemporary media portrayals of witches. You'll come away from this book with a strengthened appreciation for those creators who paid historical homage to the witches they created (I'm looking at you, 'The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'. I'm impressed).
Goodare's history of European witches and witch-hunting shines an enlightening and fascinating light on the legitimate history of witches which, by the nature of sensationalization, has been grossly exaggerated over the years.
From misconceptions about the number of witches killed to the practices of proving witches (such as the float/sink trial), Goodare does an incredible job of delivering the realistic and factual elements of witchcraft whilst also explaining the contextualisation of not only the social mindset of those in the 16th-17th century (the period where most witch-hunting took place), but also the social mindset of those in the 20th-21st century who have strangely skewed, exaggerated and dramatised witchcraft and witch-hunting.
I'm incredibly grateful for what Goodare taught me. I learned so much about the academia responsible for formulating witchy terminology, the anti-Semitism underpinning many witching imageries; the significant impact commercialisation had on the termination of witchcraft; the role of religion and the divine state on the resurgence of witch-hunting; the shift from male to female subjugation when it came to magic; the linguistic and translation errors which, arguably, lead to many people believing witchcraft was mentioned in Exodus; and the select and very localised hysteria and paranoia in certain areas of Europe which resulted in witch-trials (there are some very concerning but darkly fascinating overlays between the paranoia of 16th century Europe and 21st century America... just saying).
I really loved how much I learned from this book. For a big read, I was grateful that I only found one chapter slightly sloggy (there were a lot of statistics about the reformation which I found hard to feel passionate about). Aside from that chapter, I adored all the others. I felt like a sponge absorbing so much cultural and political history that I'd never come across before. Goodare taught me about more than just witchcraft and witch-hunting; he taught me about the socio-political psyche and the academic zeitgeist of these periods.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in witchcraft, particularly those whose interest has been spurred entirely by skewed contemporary media portrayals of witches. You'll come away from this book with a strengthened appreciation for those creators who paid historical homage to the witches they created (I'm looking at you, 'The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'. I'm impressed).
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June 3, 2023read this for school and found it surprisingly interesting
November 13, 2019
If you're new to the subject, or a student, you can't really go wrong with this. Ronald Hutton's excellent work aside, Goodare's tight introductory contribution, should be the go-to for anyone interested in the evolution of the witch-hunt and perceptions of what witchcraft was or wasn't. Don't expect anything more than obligatory toe-dips into the recurrent controversies of the field, and those made without coming down on one side or the other firmly, which is where Goody differs from Hutton. You'll get all the nitty-gritty even down to fairy beliefs and dark shamanism as roots of witchcraft beliefs, but don't expect Goody to take a side. He presents everything you might ever want to need to know, leads you down a path and lets you loose.
As always, much of the book is taken up with actual inquisitorial protocol, interrogation studies, and how the entire process of witch-hunting was undertaken. Probably more than any work up to this point, G-Dawg always goes out of his way to synthesize and coagulate much of the preceding scholarship.
A nice outro discusses the fall of the witch-hunt. Great bibliography, too. Again, though, if you're into this topic, this will likely be little more than an awesome retread of stuff you probably already know, but eminently readable and succinct.
As always, much of the book is taken up with actual inquisitorial protocol, interrogation studies, and how the entire process of witch-hunting was undertaken. Probably more than any work up to this point, G-Dawg always goes out of his way to synthesize and coagulate much of the preceding scholarship.
A nice outro discusses the fall of the witch-hunt. Great bibliography, too. Again, though, if you're into this topic, this will likely be little more than an awesome retread of stuff you probably already know, but eminently readable and succinct.
October 28, 2025
How and why were people prosecuted as witches and users of maligned magic? Those are the questions that Julian Goodare takes a jab at in this book. But even more so,
The European Witch-Hunt
is a break with the traditions that has colored the history of witches, witchcraft and witch-hunting.
The European Witch-Hunt is much more of a comparative work, which also engages in a close conversation with the primary sources.
What Goodare ´’s main conclusions are, is that the European witch-hunts weren’t caused by a single even or ideology. Instead, the systemic prosecution of people as witches was down to a complicated play between ideas, classes and prejudices.
I know it’s a cliché to just conclude that history is complicated, but sometimes that’s just how history is. In those cases, what sets the good historians apart from the rest is how well the complexity of history is explained. And to that end, Goodare does an excellent job, even if it’s a bit flawed in terms of communication. Goodare really comes around various different causes for the witch-hunts and draws some great lines to what came before the witch-hunts and what came after. Where the cracks are showing, however, is exactly in Goodare’s analysis of all the reasons why we hunted witches. For example, Goodare rightly makes a point of about not all witches being female towards the beginning of the book and explains very well why this knowledge is important for the book. This is then contrasted by what’s basically the central chapter of the book, where Goodare analyses how sexism towards women essentially ties all the various points of analysis throughout the book together. Now, these points aren’t contradictory, but in the book it’s rather confusing at first. How can it both be an important point that men were also burned at the stake and that the hunt for witches were rooted in prejudice towards women, and especially towards older women? As said, both points can absolutely be important at the same time, but it isn’t made clear in book how it all fits together. At least for me, it was something I had to think about for a while. This is just one example, but it goes for other themes, as well. Another example would be Goodare’s point about how institutionalized power played a role in the witch-hunts. Goodare’s conclusions in this regard is that institutions played a role in both exacerbating and limiting the witch-hunts. Again, these can both be true but how is not really explained. You just have to figure that out yourself.
The European Witch-Hunt is much more of a comparative work, which also engages in a close conversation with the primary sources.
What Goodare ´’s main conclusions are, is that the European witch-hunts weren’t caused by a single even or ideology. Instead, the systemic prosecution of people as witches was down to a complicated play between ideas, classes and prejudices.
I know it’s a cliché to just conclude that history is complicated, but sometimes that’s just how history is. In those cases, what sets the good historians apart from the rest is how well the complexity of history is explained. And to that end, Goodare does an excellent job, even if it’s a bit flawed in terms of communication. Goodare really comes around various different causes for the witch-hunts and draws some great lines to what came before the witch-hunts and what came after. Where the cracks are showing, however, is exactly in Goodare’s analysis of all the reasons why we hunted witches. For example, Goodare rightly makes a point of about not all witches being female towards the beginning of the book and explains very well why this knowledge is important for the book. This is then contrasted by what’s basically the central chapter of the book, where Goodare analyses how sexism towards women essentially ties all the various points of analysis throughout the book together. Now, these points aren’t contradictory, but in the book it’s rather confusing at first. How can it both be an important point that men were also burned at the stake and that the hunt for witches were rooted in prejudice towards women, and especially towards older women? As said, both points can absolutely be important at the same time, but it isn’t made clear in book how it all fits together. At least for me, it was something I had to think about for a while. This is just one example, but it goes for other themes, as well. Another example would be Goodare’s point about how institutionalized power played a role in the witch-hunts. Goodare’s conclusions in this regard is that institutions played a role in both exacerbating and limiting the witch-hunts. Again, these can both be true but how is not really explained. You just have to figure that out yourself.
June 23, 2021
I wanted to enjoy this book as it's written so clearly and accessibly, but Goodare keeps coming out explaining how cops in the middle ages weren't any worse than cops today and it just really irks me. But also read this anyway and read the longform article "An Unbelievable Story of Rape" and I think you'll get chills realizing how immediate the witch hunts feel. Nolite te bastardes carborundorum and all that.
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March 18, 2022No rating as I read it for school
December 6, 2023
Goodare appears to be allergic to citing his sources. On every page it feels like there are unsubstantiated claims that he throws out without providing any references or proof for and then drops it to move on to something else, making for a really frustrating reading experience.
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October 3, 2025This is even cruder than Hutton’s casual failure to grasp the phenomena it purportedly addresses.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews