Village Infernos and Witches’ Advocates: Witch-Hunting in Navarre, 1608–1614

In the northern Spanish kingdom of Navarre, thousands of witchcraft accusations were made against men, women, and children between 1608 and 1614, with children playing a crucial role. Lu Ann Homza's book restores the perspectives of illiterate, Basque-speaking individuals to the history of this shocking event and demonstrates what could happen when the Spanish Inquisition tried to take charge of a liminal space. It combines new readings of Inquisitional evidence with fresh archival finds from non-Inquisitional sources, expanding our understanding of this witch hunt and the history of children, community norms, and legal expertise in early modern Europe.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 260 pages
Publication date: 17 October 2023
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

This book offers a fresh perspective on one of the most famous witch hunts in European history, which took place in the northern Spanish kingdom of Navarre between 1608 and 1614. During this period, thousands of witchcraft accusations were leveled against men, women, and children, resulting in the intervention of the Spanish Inquisition. However, the Inquisition's handling of the situation was incompetent, leading to the acceleration of denunciations. Surprisingly, children played a crucial role in the witch hunt, with reports of them being victims of witches' harmful magic and even insisting that witches were taking them to the Devil's gatherings against their will.

To shed light on this event, Lu Ann Homza has made significant archival discoveries, including new readings of Inquisition evidence and fresh archival finds from non-Inquisitional sources such as local secular and religious courts, as well as notarial and census records. By combining these sources, Homza provides a comprehensive understanding of the witch hunt and its impact on the lives of those accused.

Village Infernos and Witches Advocates is a groundbreaking book that expands our knowledge of this witch hunt and the history of children, community norms, and legal expertise in early modern Europe. It is essential reading for students and scholars of the Spanish Inquisition and the history of witchcraft in early modern Europe, as it offers a fresh perspective on a complex and often overlooked period of history.

Weight: 358g
Dimension: 228 x 153 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780271091822