A-level History coursework (NEA)

For my A Level History coursework (nea) I'm thinking of studying European witch trials (1555 to 1660), but my teacher told me that European would be too broad for an essay of only 4,500 words, which country would anyone recommend? I've heard that Germany is the easiest as there were the most there, but I do A-level French and kind of wanted to do France instead even though there were less there

edit : can't do anything to do with the witch trials in England really because one of my exam modules for the course is Stuart Britain so the content would clash

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 1

Aufbau

15

Could you do a comparative style essay on two countries?

Reply 2

Brrrrrrrrrr6

14

Also I agree with aufbau

I'd recommend England as you can use gcse knowledge or research gcse materials on witches to lay down the foundation. Ofc do further research- its up to you!

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 3

al3xjni

OP

3

Original post by Aufbau

Could you do a comparative style essay on two countries?

This sounds like a good idea - since posting I also thought of doing the Holy Roman Empire? It spans across a couple of countries which I'd like and seems to encompass the majority of Europe that persecuted witches so might be another alternative? Ps thank you for all the help :smile:

Reply 4

al3xjni

OP

3

Original post by Brrrrrrrrrr6

Also I agree with aufbau

I'd recommend England as you can use gcse knowledge or research gcse materials on witches to lay down the foundation. Ofc do further research- its up to you!

Oops forgot to mention this before but I'll edit it into the question we're doing Stuart Britain as one of the exam modules which spans across 1603 to 1702 (and my coursework spans across 1555 to 1660 since this is what most historians say is the height of the trials) so my teacher said not to do Britain as the content would clash slightly (since religion is so important in both the Stuart Britain course and witch trials nea) but will definitely look into the comparative style essay! thank you for the help :smile:

Reply 5

Brrrrrrrrrr6

14

Original post by al3xjni

Oops forgot to mention this before but I'll edit it into the question we're doing Stuart Britain as one of the exam modules which spans across 1603 to 1702 (and my coursework spans across 1555 to 1660 since this is what most historians say is the height of the trials) so my teacher said not to do Britain as the content would clash slightly (since religion is so important in both the Stuart Britain course and witch trials nea) but will definitely look into the comparative style essay! thank you for the help :smile:

Oh sorry for that!

Do you know what your next step is at least? :smile:

Reply 6

al3xjni

OP

3

Original post by Brrrrrrrrrr6

Oh sorry for that!

Do you know what your next step is at least? :smile:

It's okay! And hiiii! :smile:

I know it's been a while but I've done around 60 - 75% of my entire research and I managed to track down and map out a timeline of all witch trials in France (I'll copy and paste it at the bottom of this post in case anyone else ever needs it for theirs or if you wanted to take a look) from around 1400 until around 1750, with some decades even having multiple events in them. I think I'll probably go from around 1580 until 1680, but that's not set in stone. My questions are going to be something resembling one of the following:

In the context of the years [beginning year] to [ending year], to what extent was patriarchy and misogyny the main factor in the persecution of witches in France?

In the context of the years [beginning year] to [ending year], to what extent was religious conflict and superstition the main factor in the persecution of witches in France?

In the context of the years [beginning year] to [ending year], to what extent was societal change and the centralisation of the state the main factor in the persecution of witches in France?

(The coursework has to span approximately 100 years, but my teacher said that 15 years above or below that amount will probably be accepted too.)

Now that I've constructed my timeline, I'm just working on building up around a page or so of research on each event of the timeline during the time frame I think is most interesting (1580ish until 1680ish, mainly from the lycanthropy/werewolf trials such as Gilles Garnier's in 1573 until the decriminalisation of witchcraft by Louis XIV in 1682), and after that I have to find two interpretations from historians with opposing viewpoints on my title question (e.g. I need to find one who says yes, misogyny was the main factor, and another which opposes that view with another one of my factors such as religion or politics). My teacher also advised me to begin on an event which shows things are either bad or getting worse, and to end on something that shows some kind of progression, which is why I started on the lycanthropy trials, as they come straight after a period of what they call 'Renaissance humanism' (basically people writing books against and speaking out on the witch trials), showing the ending of a more peaceful era and a deterioration in the progressive thinking leading to more trials, and then finishing on the decriminalisation, showing progress.

My only issue now is finding the historians' interpretations I can use. I've been looking at books all over but because I'm studying a foreign country, a lot of the material/books from historians is written in French, and hasn't been translated, meaning I couldn't quote it (as different people's translations can differ with synonyms and word order etc). I also need to find two with opposing opinions, and ensure that I can explain why they likely are biased/have different opinions (e.g. a religious person who thinks religion wasn't the main factor, and an atheist who thinks it was, or a woman who thinks misogyny was the main factor, and a man who claims it wasn't, etc). I'll probably make this a new post to see if anyone can suggest anything to me, because what I was thinking was that I could probably just take any quote on witch trials in Europe, with France being a part of Europe, and use those, but it would be better if I had at least one, if not both interpretations, specifically to do with France.

But thank you for all the helpful suggestions etc! <3

(Probably incomplete since I keep stumbling across new covered up trials) timeline:

1315 Enguerrand de Marigny publicly hanged.
1317 Hugues Géraud burned at the stake.
1390 The widely believed ‘first’ witch trial held at Le Châtelet.
1431 Joan of Arc burned at the stake.
1448 Catherine Quicquat burned at the stake.
1478 Heinrich Kramer appointed as an Inquisitor for southern Germany.
1484 Heinrich Kramer prosecutes witches in Ravensburg.
1485 Tyrol witch-hunt led by Kramer.
1486 Malleus Maleficarum published for the first time.
1500 More than 1000 printing shops across Europe.
1500–1700 France saw some 3000 prosecutions and 1000 executions.
1519 Catherine Peyretone burned at the stake.
1520 Malleus Maleficarum reprinted 13 times.
1520–1560 Relative European-wide decline in witch prosecutions.
1539 A witch trial resulted in four executions in Beaujolais.
1552 Duke Charles III (of Lorraine)’s reign begins.
1553 A ‘Faustian magician’ executed in Poitiers.
1555 Nostradamus’ 'Centuries' published.
1558 Witch trials in Nevers resulting in three executions.
1560 Marked increase in prosecutions and new treatises.
1562 Witch trials in Toulouse resulting in three executions.
1563 'The Deceptive Tricks of Evil Spirits' had become a bestseller in France.
1568–1625 The Parlement de Paris only confirmed 100 death sentences, less than 5% of the cases from local courts put forward to it.
1571 Des Eschelles Manseau executed for witchcraft.
1573 Gilles Garnier convicted of witchcraft and lycanthropy and burned.
1578 Jeanne Harvilliers burned at the stake.
1578 Martha Broissier fakes possession.
1580 Jean Bodin’s 'On the Demon-mania of Witches' published.
1580–1620 Catholic Duchy of Lorraine has 2000 victims.
1581 'On the Demon-mania of Witches' translated into Latin and German.
1586–1605 Nicholas Rémy burns witches in Lorraine.
1588 Parlement de Paris issues regulations against ‘exaggeration’ in trials.
1595 Nicholas Rémy’s 'Demonolatreiae' published.
1598 Nicolas Damont convicted of lycanthropy and burned.
1600–61 Franche-Comté has 450 victims.
1604 'On the Demon-mania of Witches' published in 10 editions.
1609 Labourd witch hunt.
1611 Aix-en-Provence possessions.
1612 Duke Charles III (of Lorraine)’s reign ends.
1613 Lille possessions.
1618–48 The Thirty Years’ War.
1622 Anne de Chantraine strangled and then burned at the stake.
1624 New law stating all sentences made by local courts required confirmation by the Parlement de Paris before being carried out.
1625 The Parlement de Paris confirms its last death sentence, with one exception.
1631 Melchior de la Vallée burned at the stake.
1632 Toussaint le Juge strangled and then burned at the stake.
1634 The Loudun Possessions, leading to the trial of Urbain Grandier.
1637 René Descartes Discourse on Method.
1640s Increase in the circulation of political pamphlets.
1646 Adrienne d’Heur burned to death.
1647 Louviers possessions.
1660 Malleus Maleficarum reprinted 29 times.
1666 Establishment of the Académie des Sciences.
1669–70 Normandy witch trials
1670–72 Trials of Guyenne and Bearn
1677–82 L’affaire des poisons: a large number of women all decided to poison their aristocratic husbands, and eventually, the King.
PRE 1678 At least 400 witches executed in the Franche-Comté.
1678 Marie Bosse (La Bosse) burned after L’affaire des poisons.
1679 Peronne Goguillon burned to death – one of the last to be done so.
1680 Catherine Deshayes (La Voisin) burned after L’affaire des poisons.
1680 Françoise Filastre (La Filastre) burned after L’affaire des poisons.
1681 Marguerite Joly burned after L’affaire des poisons.
1682 Edict of Louis XIV, witchcraft is decriminalised.
1693 The Parlement de Paris’ last trial.
1718 Alleged male sorcerer executed in Bordeaux.
1724 A donkey-driver executed for sorcery in Paris.
1742 Bertrand Guilladot confessed to having made a pact with the Devil.
1745 Louis Debaraz burned in Lyon for the black mass.
1768 A woman fined for witchcraft.

There's probably a lot more than this to be researched, but since it took me ages to find all of this and compile it, since not many have done my specific NEA before, I thought I'd just leave this here to guide other people in their research if they decide to do it in future!

A-level History coursework (NEA)

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