Bamberg Witch Trials

Bamberg, a really beautiful city in northern Bavaria, undoubtedly one of the most attractive cities in Germany was also home to the Bamberg witch trials. Its old town is a UNESCO recognised world heritage site, it is a town full of history dominated by the huge cathedral which shows that it was once the prince bishops of the Catholic church who ruled here. But that rule was not benevolent. At times it could be extremely cruel and violent and that is shown by the dreadful witch trials of the seventeenth century.

Bamberg was the location of one of the largest series of witch trials in history. Together with those that happened elsewhere in what is today Germany in cities such as Trier, Fulda and Würzburg, the trials claimed hundreds of lives in horrendous circumstances in which the accused had the choice of dying in excrutiating pain under torture whilst attempts were made to force a confession or dying in excrutiating pain by fire after a confession. Whereas in the countryside, witch trials did not necessarily lead to a death sentence, urban areas it was a different story. In Bamberg, the overwhelming majority of those accused were sentenced to death and the period from accusation to execution was usually less than 20 days – showing how quickly people broke down under extreme torture. And as we shall see, the victims were usually the political foes of the church and the cause of the terror was economic.

As I speak, I shall show you in the video what Bamberg looks like today. Many of the buildings you will see would be recognisable to both the victims and the perpetrators of these crimes, particularly the Cathedral and Cathedral square.

All of Europe was effected by a cold spell at the beginning of the seventeenth century. I believe that the main cause of this was the eruption of the Huaynaputina volcano in what is today southern Peru in February and March 1600. This was the greatest volcanic eruption in South America in historical times. I believe that the after effects could have dragged on for many years. As volcanic particles around the globe blocked sunlight, temperatures fell. Cold weather meant poor harvests which meant hunger. To add to this a number of other problems hit at the same time.

The first was the Thirty Years War – as far as local rulers were concerned this had to be financed and wars are costly At times of conflict, the last thing that rulers want is anything which hits their tax base – but as food became scarce and production dropped, how could the war be paid for? The Thirty Years War was essentially a religious conflict and that type of conflict is usually the most bitter. This was the greatest disaster to befall central Europe until WW2 and in places in what is today Germany caused a population decline greater than two thirds.

The second was a period of hyper inflation caused in part by the change in the amount of silver that was being brought to Europe from South America.

The third problem was that of the plague which hit every large town in this area of Germany from around 1624 – 1636.

At the same time, people could look back to a different time when things were better, when they did not have those problems which beset them at present. Clearly there was something wrong within their society and that problem needed to be found.

The solution found conveniently by the church was to blame the devil and those allied to him on earth – the witches. After all, it was the witches who could change the temperature of the weather and thus stop crops from growing.

Prince-Bishop of Bamberg Neytard von Thüngen permitted witch trials at the end of the sixteenth century even before the onset of the cold period but that was probably more due to his fight with the Reformation. There were a number of trials in the period 1613 – 1619 as harvests declined and particularly the bad harvest of 1616 is notable. However the worst period occurred during the reign of Prince-Bishop Johann Georg Fuchs von Dornheim from 1626. When a sudden frost severely damaged crops there was a wave of arrests and a special prison to hold the suspects was built called the Drudenhaus. In 1628 alone there were 192 documented trials.

[lindakay]

This is harrowing!! I have been researching my genealogy. My mother told me that I am German on both sides of my family. I have traced my dad's father's side back to a 9th great grandfather who was documented in Saybrook Connecticut in 1628. But there is no record of his existence, or any of his family, prior to that date. In everything I've never heard about witch trials, I had no idea that they were going on in Germany at this time. ...

This presentation paints a vivid picture of where and when my family came from.

What's truly ironic, every male who was descended from said ancestor, were farm owners, all the way to 1930's.

[tomweickmann]

I almost married a witch.
Does that count?
Thanks for a great video.

[diedus]

Greed will take many to the road of hell, and organised religion as well. I am a rogue agent for God, because through the blood of Christ, and the Holy Spirit that dwells within me. I should not be alive, i have nearly died so many time's, dr's ask me how am i alive, and how is my mind intact by what i have been through. There is true evil, and power's we don't understand, but faith in the mercy of my Father is all i can say. God bless, and interesting video.