Christianity and Witchcraft in Europe∗

Although the widespread persecution of witches reached its height in the early modern period, most particularly between 1580 and 1650, the widespread concern of the Church over this supposed problem dates back to the early medieval period. During the worst period of persecution, witches were prosecuted throughout Europe, but mostly in Germany, France and Switzerland. The exact numbers of those arrested and subsequently executed are not known, but recent estimates suggest that 110,000 were arrested and 60,000 were executed. Of these, probably 80 per cent were women.