Why were witches persecuted with such intensity in sixteenth and seventeenth century Europe?
It was due to ignorance and fear from the public but also the Goverments, who believed that “witches” were the cause of all the misfortunes, regardless of whether it was a natural disaster like a flood or a deformity or something pretty minor like a small theft. It was also entertainment to watch the “witches” on the ducking stool. Basically, if you were a woman and were unmarried, ugly, disabled etc, you’d be accused of being a witch and were tortured and killed in public for public entertainment.
