The Bamberg witch trials were a series of witch trials that took place in the city of Bamberg, Germany, between the years 1624 and 1630. During this time, over 1,000 individuals were accused of practicing witchcraft and roughly 300 were executed. **The trials were initiated by the ruling prince-bishop Johann Georg II Fuchs von Dornheim, who was convinced that witchcraft was a major threat to the stability of the region.** He was supported by a group of theologians and jurists who saw the trials as an opportunity to eliminate perceived heresy and enforce religious conformity. The accused were mainly women, often poor and marginalized individuals, who were believed to have made pacts with the devil and engaged in various acts of malevolence. The trials followed a typical pattern seen in witch trials of the time, with suspects being subjected to torture to extract confessions and often being subjected to public humiliation and execution.

Bamberg witch trials

Contemporary with the W�rzburg Witch Trials and others in South Germany, the Bamberg Witch Trials was one of the largest of the period, with between 300 and 600 executions. Some of the trials and torture sessions (such as that of the wealthy local landowner Johannes Junius, for example) were recorded in sickening detail.

Bamberg at the time was a small state ruled by the Prince-Bishop Gottfried Johann Georg II Fuchs von Dornheim. The area had been devasted for years by war and conflicts within the Holy Roman Empire, as well as a series of crop failures, famines and plagues. Rather than blaming the politicians, people looked for supernatural explanations, and accusations of witchcraft proliferated.

Taking advantage of this, Dornheim oversaw the establishment of a network of informers. Accusations were not made public, and the accused were denied any legal rights. Dornheim was also responsible for establishing an operation of full-time torturers and executioners, and for building the notorious Drudenhaus (or Trudenhaus, or witch prison) in Bamberg in 1627 to house the special torture chambers.

Torture was routinely applied to those accused, and the victims were subjected to thumbscrews and vises, ice-cold baths and scalding lime baths. They were whipped, burned with sulphur, put in iron-spiked stocks and subjected to other forms torture. Children as young as 6 months old were tortured and killed. Even after condemnation, the physical abuse continued, and prisoners had their hands cut off as they were led to the stake.

Many rich and powerful people of the area fell victim to the frenzy of accusations, and had their property and assets confiscated, which made Dornheim and his officers extremely rich. Anyone who questioned what was happening was also arrested and subjected to the same treatment.

Finally, after compaints by several influential persons (although, in reality, largely due to the fact that business in the region was suffering), the Emperor Ferdinand was forced to issue mandates opposing the persecution in 1630 and 1631. Dornheim died in 1632, and the sorry episode drew to a close.

Why Early Modern Mass Incarceration Matters: The Bamberg Malefizhaus, 1627–31

Address correspondence to Spencer J. Weinreich, 78 Mount Auburn St., Cambridge, MA 02138. Email: [email protected].

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Journal of Social History, Volume 56, Issue 4, Summer 2023, Pages 719–752, https://doi.org/10.1093/jsh/shac066

Published: 31 January 2023 Views

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Spencer J Weinreich, Why Early Modern Mass Incarceration Matters: The Bamberg Malefizhaus, 1627–31, Journal of Social History, Volume 56, Issue 4, Summer 2023, Pages 719–752, https://doi.org/10.1093/jsh/shac066

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The trials followed a typical pattern seen in witch trials of the time, with suspects being subjected to torture to extract confessions and often being subjected to public humiliation and execution. **The trials were characterized by a high level of brutality and a lack of due process, with many suspects being found guilty solely based on the testimony of witnesses and their own coerced confessions.** The Bamberg witch trials were part of a wider European phenomenon known as the witch hunts, which saw thousands of individuals prosecuted and executed for witchcraft between the 15th and 18th centuries.

Abstract

In 1627, at the height of the Bamberg witch-hunt (1595–1631), the prince-bishopric erected the Malefizhaus (“witchcraft-house”), the first cellular prison purpose-built for solitary confinement. This article recovers the history of the Malefizhaus to establish the importance of imprisonment and carceral institutions to the early modern witch-craze. The prison at once concretized the ideology of the hunt and furnished a fearsome weapon of persecution, extracting the confessions without which no inquisitorial campaign could function. By reconstructing the singular architecture and internal regimen of the Malefizhaus, this article demonstrates the sophistication of early modern interrogations, a process distorted by an outsized interest in torture. Having recognized the Malefizhaus as a driver of the witch-hunt, it is possible to recognize the prison’s impact upon Bamberg’s seventeenth-century history—disrupting political and economic relationships, displacing populations, and disciplining social life. The case of the Bamberg witches’ prison counters the modernist slant of the study of the prison, proof that medieval and early modern carceral institutions shaped the history of their societies, despite smaller scales and weaker state apparatuses. In turn, the essay argues that the critical tools of carceral studies, developed to study contemporary mass incarceration, can profitably be applied to premodern practices and institutions, offering insight into patterns of violence, the development of repressive structures, and the problems of “crime” as a historical category.

Bamberg Witches

Bamberg Witches : At the center of the worst witch tortures and trials in Germany was Bamberg, a small state ruled by Gottfried Johann Georg II Fuchs von Dornheim. The Hexenbischof (Witch Bishop) von Dornheim, as he was known, ruled the state from 1623 to 1633 and established an efficient witch-burning machine aided by the Inquisition.

By the time von Dornheim reached power, witch- hunting had already been established in Bamberg, and at least 400 persons had been executed since 1609. Von Dornheim established an operation of lawyers, full-time torturers and executioners, led by Suffragan Bishop Friedrich Forner. A witch prison, a Drudenhaus, was built, with a capacity of 30 to 40 prisoners. A network of informers was encouraged, and the hunts began afresh in 1624. Accusations were not made public, and the accused were denied legal counsel.

Torture was the rule, not the exception, and was rigorously applied to all suspects. No one subjected to torture avoided confessing to attending Sabbats, desecrating the cross, having intercourse with Demons, poisoning per- sons (see poisons) and other crimes. Victims were put in thumbscrews and vises, dumped in cold baths and in scalding lime baths, whipped, hung in the strappado (see torture), burned with feathers dipped in sulphur, put in iron-spiked stocks and subjected to other forms of excruciating abuse. The torture did not stop even after condem- nation. As they were led to the stake, prisoners had their flesh ripped with hot pincers or had their hands cut off.

Many prominent persons in Bamberg fell victim to the “machine,” including all the burgomasters. Von Dornheim, meanwhile, confiscated their property and lined his own coffers. Anyone who showed sympathy for the victims or expressed doubt about their guilt became a victim as well, including the vice-chancellor of the diocese, Dr. George Haan. Haan tried to check the trials but was himself tried as a witch and burned at the stake along with his wife and daughter in 1628.

In 1627 von Dornheim built a Hexenhaus (Witch House), a larger, special prison for witches that contained both cells and torture chambers.

Some managed to escape Bamberg and went to appeal to Emperor Ferdinand for help. The emperor made an effort to intercede in one case but was defied by von Dornheim. Finally, political pressure forced Ferdinand to issue mandates opposing the persecutions in 1630 and 1631. The situation also was changed by the deaths of Forner in 1621 and von Dornheim in 1632.

As a result of the Bamberg trials, Ferdinand's son, Ferdinand II, decreed that in future trials, the accusations were to be made public, the defendants were to be allowed attorneys and no property could be confiscated.

Von Dornheim's cousin, Prince-Bishop Philipp Ad- olf von Ehrenberg, ruled over Wiirzburg, another small state, and subjected his citizens to the same type of terror. Between 1623 and 1631, when he died, von Ehrenberg tortured, beheaded and burned 900 persons, including at least 300 children three to four years of age.

Reviews for "The Psychological Impact of the Bamberg Witch Trials on Society"

1. Emily - 1/5 stars - I was really disappointed with the Bamberg witch trials. I had heard so much about it and was excited to visit, but it was incredibly underwhelming. The exhibition felt disjointed and lacked any real depth or context. It felt like they just threw a bunch of artifacts and information together without any thought. I left feeling like I didn't learn anything new or gain any real insight into the witch trials. I would not recommend this to anyone looking for a comprehensive and informative experience.

2. Michael - 2/5 stars - The Bamberg witch trials were a letdown for me. The exhibition was poorly organized and the information provided was minimal at best. It felt like they were trying to cover too much ground without really delving into any of the details. I didn't feel any emotional connection or understanding of the trials and the impact they had on the accused. The lack of interactive displays or engaging activities made the whole experience feel static and uninteresting. Overall, I found it to be a superficial and unsatisfying visit.

3. Sarah - 2/5 stars - I had high expectations for the Bamberg witch trials, but unfortunately, it fell short. The displays were outdated and in need of a refresh. The information provided was basic and lacking in any real depth or analysis. It felt like they were just going through the motions and didn't put much effort into creating a captivating experience for visitors. I was left feeling bored and unimpressed. I would not recommend this exhibition to anyone looking for a thought-provoking and educational experience.

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