Austrias Witches

With the Emperor Rudolph II (1576-1612) on the throne The Jesuits (the society of jesus ) seeking to roll back protestantism sparked the worst period of the witchcraft delusion.

A secondary period came to an end with the 17th centurary In the styria and the tyrol provinces. Finding expression in "Halsgerichtsordnung" a severe anti-witch code from 1707.

pre-1570 witchcraft was rarely punished.(with the exeption of the carolina code of 1532) the laws dismissed witchcraft lightly. The criminal ordinence of Tyrol did not refer to sorcery or witchcraft. In 1544 sorcery and divination were treated as delusional things. And even in 1573 the punishment for witchcraft was only punishable by a fine. The informer recieved a quarter , the judge a quarter and charity half.

emperor Maximillian II (1564-57) was one who agreed with theese low fines,for he believed thoose who resorted to fortune tellers were idiots.

Even the carolina code wich stated that heresy or malicous sorcery should be punisable by death by burning, was ignored most of the time.

when Maximillian was replaced with Rudolph witch trials increased. Rudolph who was a strong believer in witchcraft believed himself to be bewitched. He was dominated by the jesuits who equated sorcery and heresy.

The Changes were shown when 16 year old Anna Schlutterbauer, A demoniac exorcized at Mariazell . When they found the old lady who was accused of causing her possession was tried as a witch. After being tortured she admitted to copulating with the devil raising storms. A judge remaining from the Maximillian era sentenced her to an asylum,but he was overrulled who sentenced her to be dragged on a hurdled and then burnt on the stake.

this continued for the next 150 years. A Landgerichtsordnung of 1665 included among the signs for a justified arrest were the discovery of oil ointments, pots of vermin, or human bones.

in 1679 Emperor Leopold banned the use of the Nagelbett "bed of nails" and other new gruesomes tortures.

But in the same a revival of persicutions occured in Salsburg from 1677 to 1681 wich had so many accusies that another jail was constructed to hold them all. About a hundred people were tortured burned or beheaded. Ranging in age from 10 to eighty.

Then if it wasent enough The Halsgerichtsordnung of 1707 (under emperor Joseph I ) Wich revived the practices of the Malleus Maleficarum in austria. However there were no further executions.

The Empress Maria-Theresa issued "Constitutio Criminalis Theresiana... Peinliche Gerichtsordnung" in 1769 wich limited persicutions. No sentence for witchcraft was permitted without government approval.

in 1787 all witchcraft laws were abolished. in the german speaking areas of the tyrol few trials took place beore the 1600's

in 1637 The Attorney General of Innsbruck, Dr. Volpert Mozel , drew up a set of instructions for local Magistrates to help locate and punish witches.

it stated that a witch should never be told the facts or circumstanzes of the aqusition.

it also stated the accomplices had to be revealed under moderate torture and also sortend torture to 3 1 hour periods.

in 1696 a similar handbook was published by Dr. Johann Christoph Fröhlich, Wich stated that normal legal procedures should be ignored. He said that interrigation should occur after arrest so that the devil could not coach the prisoner. The torture chamber should be sprinkled with holy water and fumigated with blessedd herbs. Children under 7 were exempt from punishment but 14 was considerd an adult. Anyone convicted lost there wealth and property.

Other things that happen in austria were an 57 year old women dying of insanity after torture. And the killing of an entire family and there servent after being accused of withcraft. 4 boys aged 14-24 were all killed for causing temptest.