How far can the rise in witch trials in the late sixteenth and first half of the seventeenth century be explained by economic factors?.
There are many explanations for the rise of witch trials in the first half of the seventeenth century one of which can be explained by economic factors. However there were other contributing elements. The witch trials took place throughout most of Europe. Briggs had identified the heartland of the witch craze to be a hundred miles or so either side of the Rhine, from Luxembourg and north west Germany down to Savoy and the Swiss Confederation. Although these places were hit quite hard by the craze some countries avoided them almost entirely. .
There have been many attempts to estimate the number of deaths due to the witch trials and it is clear that some estimates have been grossly exaggerated. Recent estimates have suggested that the total number of prosecutions for witchcraft during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was in the region of 111,000, about half of which took place within the Holy Roman Empire. The historian Brian Levack had suggested that the number of executions was in the region of 60,000, whereas Robin Briggs, in "Witches and Neighbours" suggests that "sober research" can only justify an estimate of 40,000 deaths. Although historians try to be as accurate as possible it is almost impossible to make an entirely accurate estimation as many of the accused were lynched by local authorities and so their deaths were never recorded. .
A number of points have been put forward to explain the growth in persecution. However, none of these provides an adequate explanation. For each of the explanations there are examples that can be proven an exception to the rule. For example, the changes to the legal procedure help to explain the growth of persecution. This evidence isn't absolutely conclusive. Those parts of the Holy Roman Empire, for example, which applied the Imperial Code of Justice strictly, prosecuted far fewer witches than those that did not.
