Germany

It was the time of the great witch-hunting. In Europe, dominated the belief that it was the duty of Christians to rescue heretics and pagans of the hideous fate that awaited them after death.

Long before St. Augustine expressed his conviction that "not only every pagan, but every Jew, heretic and schismatic, will go to eternal fire, unless, before the end of his life, and be reconciled to the Church forward Catholic. "

The consequence of this attitude was the imposition of hell on earth for thousands of human beings, in order to save them from the terror of hell in the afterlife.

The horrors of persecution were probably worse in Germany than in any other part of Europe. Witch trials began here in the mid 15th century, but the climax was after 1570, at the time of the Counter-Reformation, when the Roman Catholic Church began to impose setback to the growth of Protestantism and every form of heresy, including sorcery which then became the target of brutal attacks.

Between 1609 and 1622, over 300 people were executed on charges of witchcraft, only the state of Bamberg. The accused was tortured without worry of sex or age.

In 1614 a woman of 74 years went through before he died, the pangs of torture to the "third degree."

From 1623 to 1632, the state of Bamberg - later described as the "temple of terror" - was ruled by fanatical Prince-Bishop Gottfried von Dornheim. Known as the "bishop sorcerer", he established an organization of hunting witches extremely efficient, under the command of Friedrich Forner assistant bishop, assisted by a council of lawyers. Special prisons were built, getting famous call Hexenhaus, or "house of the witches." At least 600 people were burnt in that decade, under the charge of witchcraft.

It was considered essential that the accused confessed to witchcraft and, accordingly, no effort was spared. The means employed included: roasting the victim in a boiler of hot iron, pinching them skin with hot tongs, crushing his legs, shifting the clavicles and pinched fingers.

It was extremely dangerous to express any doubt as to the guilt of the accused or the action of the court and the methods used to obtain a confession. The authorities were determined not to let the accused, one time arrested, escaped to their fate.

This was proved by the vice-chancellor of Bamberg, Dr. Ham, who had shown signs of liberality to the accused: he himself was accused of witchcraft, admitted his guilt under torture and denounced another five borough-masters of the state. That did not save him: in 1628, Dr. Ham, his wife and his daughter were burned, accused of being one bevy of witches.

The witch-hunting in Bamberg, involved an entire industry, which went from the judges to the suppliers of firewood to burn the accused. All expenses were paid from the assets of the accused himself. If one delay to confess, the torture methods reached refinements of perversity: feathers burning, sulfuric acid, passed by the armpits or genitals, or baths of boiling water, in which the acid was added.

Many times the wealth of the defendant is that caused the complaint, arrest, torture and execution. Therefore, the betrayal between friends was commonplace.

It ended when refugees were reporting to the emperor the details of the simulacrum of justice in Bamberg milder laws were downloaded, giving opportunity to defend the accused. But it was not just the work Conra retirement: the Lutheran Benedict Carpzov admitted given the execution of at least 20,000 people in Saxony. With the gradual decline of belief in the existence of the devil, fear of witches slowed. And with that, there was no need to send burn to save the soul of the accused.

In 1630 Bishop Forner and died two years later, was followed by his master, the prince-bishop Dornheim. Also, the invasion of Germany by Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, contributed to change the situation: the defendant Swede was Protestant. It required the presence of a heretic in Catholic ground for a stop to the atrocities being committed in the name of religion. Only then, put up an end to one of the darkest pages of human intolerance and ignorance.