mideival witchcraft

During the Midieval era witchcraft became a popular form of rebellion against Church and state which was interpreted as heresy. However, witchcraft was not the only kind of rejection of institutional structure. Russell descibes this happening as “the rise of mystisim, of the flagellents, of the dance cult, and the expansion of popular heresy [occurring] at the same time as the rapid growth of the witch phenomenon (Russell 272).” Because witchcraft appeared to be devil worship, …

…of the devil. In some cases, the community of witches was not a heretical sect, but a survival of paganism. Either way, all forms were considered to be witchcraft and these people were sought after for persecution. Bibliography Hole, Christina. Witchcraft in England. London: B.T. Bashford Ltd., 1947. Jeffery Burton Russell. Witchcraft in the Middle Ages Witchcraft in Europe: 1000-1700 A Documentary History. Ed. Alan C. Kors and Edward Peters. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972