Choose one of the following prompts. 1) The European witch-hunt developed as a result of both religious ideology and secular legal institutions. Using The Trial of Tempel Anneke as a basis for your argument, explore the ways in which religion and legal courts shaped the prosecution of witches in the early modern period. You may also use other trials discussed in Goodare and Levack to back up your argument, but Tempel Annekes trial should be your focus. Don’t forget to account for the fact that the witch-hunt period is post-Reformation. 2) Goodare writes that the conviction and execution of a person suspected of witchcraft by the community was not a foregone conclusion. In some cases, the suspected person might not be brought to the attention of court authorities at all. In other cases, some were interrogated by the court, but either acquitted or given a lesser punishment. Identify points in time when something different might have occurred that prevented Tempel Anneke’s execution. You will want to examine both the time before Tempel Anneke was interrogated and the trial itself. Use Goodare’s book to base your argument and explain how alternative actions might have changed the course of Tempel Anneke’s history. 3) Did gender play a role in the arrest and conviction of Tempel Anneke? Was she convicted of being a witch because she was a woman? Why or why not? You will want to utilize evidence from the trial documents in conjunction with evidence that illustrates the opinions of contemporaries- from all walks of life- to demonstrate your argument. You may also use examples from other witch trials to back up your argument. 4) The European Witch-Hunt is often studied as one, single phenomenon. This course and Julian Goodare’s book use titles that reflect this. Yet, Europe was not a homogeneous culture, and regional differences are apparent in the practices used in hunting and trying witches. Do you believe that it is worthwhile to approach the study of the witch hunts as “European”, or should we be strictly limiting our research to geographical locations (for example, British witch hunts, German witch hunts, etc)? Use Tempel Anneke’s case to compare and contrast it to cases that occurred in other parts of Europe and its colonies. How do the similarities and/or differences lead to your conclusion? Instructions: Be sure to use specific examples from the books to make your argument. Every point that you make must be backed up by evidence, or it will not be convincing. For full credit, you must use at least 5 cited examples from Julian Goodare, The European Witch-Hunt and at least 5 cited examples from The Trial of Tempel Anneke (not including the Introduction). (10 cited examples total.) More references are welcome.
