Persson 1

Zach F. Persson
Dr. Rupiper-Taggart
English 467: Capstone
September 27, 2016
Crimes and Punishment in Renaissance Europe
Capstone Advisors: Dr. Verena Theile and Dr. Jeff Bumgarner
Introduction:
Legal systems have long been in place in many different variations. Laws exist to protect human
rights and to keep those under the jurisdiction of the law safe from criminals. Renaissance
Europe had an impressive legal system that is not that far removed from modern courtroom
proceedings; however, certain laws from that time period now seem superstitious in their nature
to us and thus perhaps inhumane or subjective to those that were criminalized. The fear of
witchcraft was a source of great concern in Renaissance Europe and thousands of people (mostly
women) were tortured, went to trial, and were then executed in horrific fashion in order to satisfy
the existing superstitions. The purpose of this study is to analyze the legal systems that were in
place to apprehend and dole out punitive measure to supposed witches. What is the legal
system that governs witch trials and what did these witch trials look like?
Objectives:
My goal with this assignment is to understand the history of the legal phenomenon of witchcraft
persecution, perhaps the greatest example of rhetorical and cultural analysis of with trials in early
modern Europe. My interest in law comes from my ultimate career goal, which is to be a lawyer.
There have been numerous instances throughout history where human rights were unequivocally
thrown to the wayside, and as an aspiring lawyer, I value the rights of humanity as the chief goal
of the legal system. Renaissance Europe had an intricate legal system so it provides ample
evidence with which to view the atrocities committed against humanity due to superstitions,
prejudice, and fear of others. I want to better understand a particular instance where human rights
were neglected in order to produce results and satisfy prejudice.
Methods:
I will conduct my research by studying books and treatises that were popular during the
Renaissance and that discussed and propagated cultural ideas and perceptions of witchcraft,
specifically, how to find witches and what legal measures ought to be brought against them. Jean
Bodin, a prolific judge in France wrote The Demon-Mania of Witches, which details how witches
behave, how to find them within society, what they look like, and what to do with them once
they are captured. James I wrote Daemonologie, which also concerns witchcraft and lays out
what to do with witches in the legal forum. Both texts were paramount in both Renaissance
society and culture concerning superstitions and witchcraft. I will analyze both texts in my
research thoroughly to ascertain the conversation constructed in Renaissance Europe about

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witchcraft and to understand the perspective someone within the Renaissance legal system might
hold.
Also, I will utilize scholarly research that has been conducted on both of these texts in order to
understand the conversation that currently exists about these two texts. Dr. Theile, an authority
on superstitions in Renaissance Literature, has written a book entitled Staging the Superstitions
of Early Modern Europe, which discusses the construction of superstitions in early modern
Europe, which encompasses the background of my topic. Additionally, I will analyze the laws
and punitive measures that existed in Renaissance Europe in order to provide context to the
crimes and punishments of witchcraft in relation to other crimes such as homicide, treason,
burglary, etc. An important part of my research will be analyzing actual court documents from
notable witch trials from Renaissance Europe in order to garner an idea of what the evidence for
the crime looked like, and also to gain a vantage point of what these trials looked like. In order to
enhance my understanding of these legal documents, I have enlisted a second Capstone mentor
Dr. Jeff Bumgarner, who will assist me in translating the legal jargon comprised in the text of
notable witch trial documents providing ample expertise from his years within the modern legal
system. Combining the resources of a Renaissance and legal expert in order to properly
understand the texts that I will be researching will greatly enhance my research and produce a
much better Capstone project overall.
Literature Review:
Jean Bodins On the Demon-Mania of Witches was published in 1580 and fast became on of the
most well read books on the topic in all of Europe. Not only that, but also it was one of the most
translated books at that time. Bodin by profession, was a judge, a man of legal stature and
respectability penning his unique point of view from the side of the law. His book details how to
detect witches within your midst. He also elucidates what exactly witches do with their time and
how they commune with Satanic forces (often in the form of a familiar such as a black cat).
Bestiality abounds in the world of the Bodins witches, as a form of their consecration to the
devil and their commitment to evil purpose. Jean Bodin was well respected by his
contemporaries for other notable works and subsequently the credibility of this book was yielded
without substantial evidence. The evidence employed, was that of confessions given under
extreme torture; essentially, these witches confessed to whatever they could to stop their
suffering. Bodins treatise also details what judges ought to do in with those convicted of
witchcraft as he saw that the threat was growing in Europe and needed to be dealt with severely.
Bodins book is methodical in its approach, his fervor is undeniable, but it speaks to the gross
misunderstanding of theological aspects of Renaissance Europe and how superstitions predicated
the mass-murdering of thousands of individuals in the name of divine justice through the most
cruel of methods. Jean Bodin elucidates the witchcraft panic existent in Renaissance Europe and
provides further insight into the cultural motifs and ideologies of the time period that allowed for
such persecution.
Timeline:
October 4: Capstone Mentor Meeting (Dr. Theile)
October 6: Capstone Mentor Meeting (Dr. Bumgarner)

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October 7: Jean Bodins Demon-Mania of Witches will have been read and detailed notes taken.
October 11: Capstone Mentor Meeting (Dr. Theile) to discuss priority superstition materials to
read/access.
October 13: Capstone Mentor Meeting (Dr. Bumgarner) to discuss some priority legal references.
October 14: James I Daemonology will have been read and notes taken. Also begin searching
NDSU Library databases for related scholarly articles. I will begin working on the Annotated
Bibliography and finish all that I can on sources compiled at this time.
October 19: Capstone Mentor Meeting (Dr. Theile) discussing Staging the Superstitions of Early
Modern Europe. I will finish my Annotated Bibliography by this date.
October 20: Annotated Bibliography Due
October 21: Dr. Theiles Staging the Superstitions of Early Modern Europe will have been read
and more database research completed.
October 27: Capstone Mentor Meeting (Dr. Bumgarner) discussing court cases. Progress report
for Capstone Project is due and signed by both mentors.
October 28: Review court cases of witch trials and also learn about law in Renaissance Europe.
November 3: Capstone Mentor Meeting (Dr. Theile)
November 4: Compile information in the form of a rough draft and continue database research.
November 8: Draft of Capstone Project is due in class.
November 9: Capstone Mentor Meetings (both mentors)
November 11: Continue researching legal information from Early Modern Europe and also
existing laws at the time.
November 16: Capstone mentor meetings: show them the writing that I have compiled thus far,
and seek potential revisions or augmentations to my writing.
November 17: Abstract is due in class.
November 22: Any final revisions are due.
November 23: Capstone mentor meetings: show them the final product of my revisions at their
requests and hopefully have the final product.

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December 12: Portfolio is due finals week.
Working Bibliography:
Aggripa, Heinrich Cornelius von Nettesheim. Three Books of Occult Philosophy. St. Paul, MN:
Llewellyn Publications, 2003.
Bodin, Jean. On the Demon-Mania of Witches. Toronto, Ontario: Centre for Reformation and
Renaissance Studies, 2001. Print.
Jean Bodins On the Demon-Mania of Witches was published in 1580 and fast became on
of the most well read books on the topic in all of Europe. Not only that, but also it was
one of the most translated books at that time. Bodin by profession, was a judge, a man of
legal stature and respectability penning his unique point of view from the side of the law.
His book details how to detect witches within your midst. He also elucidates what exactly
witches do with their time and how they commune with Satanic forces (often in the form
of a familiar such as a black cat). Bestiality abounds in the world of the Bodins witches,
as a form of their consecration to the devil and their commitment to evil purpose. Jean
Bodin was well respected by his contemporaries for other notable works and
subsequently the credibility of this book was yielded without substantial evidence. The
evidence employed, was that of confessions given under extreme torture; essentially,
these witches confessed to whatever they could to stop their suffering. Bodins treatise
also details what judges ought to do in with those convicted of witchcraft as he saw that
the threat was growing in Europe and needed to be dealt with severely. Bodins book is
methodical in its approach, his fervor is undeniable, but it speaks to the gross
misunderstanding of theological aspects of Renaissance Europe and how superstitions
predicated the mass-murdering of thousands of individuals in the name of divine justice
through the most cruel of methods. Jean Bodin elucidates the witchcraft panic existent in
Renaissance Europe and provides further insight into the cultural motifs and ideologies of
the time period that allowed for such persecution.
Homes, Nathanael. Daemonologie and theologie. London, UK: Routledge and Kegan Paul,
1650. Web.
James I, King of England. Daemonology. Edinburgh, Scotland, 1957. Print.
Kallendorf, Hilaire. Exorcism and Its Texts: Subjectivity in Early Modern Literature of England
and Spain. Toronto, Ontario: University of Toronto Press, 2004. Print.
Theile, Verena and McCarthy, Andrew D. Staging the Superstitions of Early Modern Europe.
Great Britain, UK: MPG Books Group UK, 2013. Print