Hexenbrenner, Seelenretter

Prince Bishop Julius Echter von Mespelbrunn has often been charged with involvement in the witchcraft trials that took place mainly at the end of his life and reign. A new investigation suggest that the bishop, who has usually been regarded as one of the Franconian witch hunters, should be seen instead as someone who acted much more carefully regarding those accused of witchcraft. This is the first monograph to examine in detail the causes for the witchcraft trials during Echter’s long reign in the prince-bishopric of Würzburg (1573−1617), evaluating different factors and actors in these events, among whom the bishop was of course the most eminent but by no means the only one. The author shows that the main drivers of the craze were the local populations of specific towns and villages, even though their demands could only succeed in cooperation with members of the territorial, but mainly local elites.