Matthew Hopkins and the witch-hunts of 1645–47 Flashcards

All 7 cards in this deck

Who was Matthew Hopkins?

A self-appointed 'Witchfinder General' who led witch-hunts in East Anglia in 1645–47, paid by local communities to find witches.

Give one reason the witch-hunts of 1645–47 were so intense.

The English Civil War caused religious and political instability, and accusations of witchcraft were a way of asserting control.

Name two methods Matthew Hopkins used to prove someone was a witch.

Searching the body for the Devil's mark and pricking it with a needle; also the swimming test and sleep deprivation to force confessions.

True or false? People convicted of witchcraft in England in 1645–47 were burned at the stake.

False. Those convicted of witchcraft in England were hanged, usually in public.

Roughly how many people were investigated and hanged as a result of Matthew Hopkins's witch-hunts?

About 300 people were investigated, and over 100 of them were hanged.

How did economic problems help cause the witch-hunts of 1645–47?

War and failed harvests left many people poor and hungry, and they searched for someone to blame, often accusing vulnerable neighbours of witchcraft.

How did James I's book Demonologie influence the witch-hunts?

Published in 1597, it argued that witches were real and explained how to detect and prosecute them. Its royal backing made witch-hunting respectable, and its ideas still shaped beliefs in the 1640s.