Witchcraft, Witch-Hunting, and Politics in Early Modern England
An original overview of witchcraft and witch-hunting in early modern England, from the first witch trials early in Elizabeth I's reign to the repeal of the Witchcraft Statute in 1736, demonstrating how learned discussion of witchcraft, as well as the trials of those suspected of the crime, were shaped by religious and political imperatives.
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Witchcraft, Witch-hunting, and Politics in Early Modern England offers a wide-ranging and original overview of the subject of witchcraft and its place in English society, covering the period from the beginning of witch trials in the early years of the reign of Elizabeth I through to the repeal of the Witchcraft Statute in 1736. In contrast to other approaches to the subject, which have tended to focus on the origins of witchcraft in gender and/or socio-economic explanations, this volume situates belief in witchcraft and witch-hunting within the context of the political and religious debates of the period, shedding new light on the subject through a series of original case studies based on extensive archival research.
