Agents of Witchcraft in Early Modern Italy and Denmark (Palgrave Historical Studies in Witchcraft and Magic)

This Book Offers A Comparison Of Lay And Inquisitorial Witchcraft Prosecutions. In Most Of The Early Modern Period, Witchcraft Jurisdiction In Italy Rested With The Roman Inquisition, Whereas In Denmark Only The Secular Courts Raised Trials. Kallestrup Explores The Narratives Of Witchcraft As They Were Laid Forward By People Involved In The Trials. This Book Offers The First Ever Attempt To Compare Lay And Inquisitorial Witchcraft Prosecutions. In Most Of The Early Modern Period, Jurisdiction In Italy Relating To Witchcraft Rested With The Roman Inquisition, Whereas In Denmark Only The Secular Courts Raised Trials. Kallestrup Explores The Condemnation And Narratives Of Witchcraft As They Were Presented By People Involved In The Trials In A Roman-catholic And Danish-lutheran Context, And Ties Together The Diverse Research Traditions Of Italian And Danish Witchcraft Scholarship. Agents Of Witchcraft Is Divided Into Three Sections, Beginning With An Analysis Of The Learned And Legal Understandings Of Witchcraft, And Proceeding With An Examination Of How The People On Trial Understood The Term 'witchcraft'. Finally, The Book Ends By Looking At The Encounter Of Beliefs Between The Defendant And The Judge.--back Cover. Introduction -- Pt. I. The Prosecutors. Marking The Limits Of Transgression ; The Condemnation Of Witchcraft In Denmark ; Comparing Procedures Against Witchcraft In The Roman Inquisition And The Danish Secular Courts -- Pt. Ii. The Prosecuted. The Local Studies ; Constructing An Accusation Of Witchcraft For The Court ; From Allegation To Formal Accusation ; Popular Notions Of Witchcraft -- Pt. Iii. Encounters In The Courts. Honest People And Wicked People ; Conclusion : The Confessor And The Judge. Louise Nyholm Kallestrup, University Of Southern Denmark, Odense. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 189-202) And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xv Introduction....Pages 1-10 Front Matter....Pages 11-11 Marking the limits of transgression....Pages 13-32 The condemnation of witchcraft in Denmark....Pages 33-52 Comparing procedures against witchcraft in the Roman Inquisition and the Danish secular courts....Pages 53-62 Front Matter....Pages 63-63 The local studies....Pages 65-72 Constructing an accusation of witchcraft for the court....Pages 73-86 From allegation to formal accusation....Pages 87-110 Popular notions of witchcraft....Pages 111-130 Front Matter....Pages 131-131 Honest people and wicked people....Pages 133-148 Conclusion: the confessor and the judge....Pages 149-155 Back Matter....Pages 156-206