Witchcraft- Revision 18/2

                 Accusation and punishment of a witch

Heresy: Someone who has a strong belief or theory that is strongly against the current beliefs or value systems

Heretic: Someone who practices this.

Being accused of witchcraft in the Middle Ages meant being labeled as a heretic.  If accused of witchcraft, the accused was forced to confess, even if he was innocent, through brutal torture.  Then he was hanged or burnt alive for his/her crimes.  Laws against witchcraft were further tightened when they began to be used for personal vendettas against the accused or in order to gain property of the accused. 

The accusations were arranged by influential persons in society or the clergy who would bring about the suspicions against those they wanted to target.  They then arrested their victims, made them confess, and executed them.  Almost 80% of those accused of witchcraft were women.

In some cases, the clergy were genuinely concerned about the souls of those they were executing.  As such, they chose to burn the so-called “witches” alive in order to save them.