The Impact of Witchcraft on England and Scotland History Essay Example

The practice of witchcraft has been around for centuries. There are many books, movies, plays, and TVshows that are about witchcraft and the art of witchcraft. In earlier periods, witches were people who practiced witchcraft, using magic spells and calling to spirits for help. Most witches were thought to be pagans doing work for the Devil. Many witches were doctors who used natural resources that were misunderstood. Witchcraft was very prominent in England and Scotland in the late 16th and early 17th century and affected their countries greatly.

In England there were witch trials that occurred throughout the 15th to 16th century.  In the Sky History article A Discovery Of Witches: British Witch Trials In The 17Th Century by Jo Rowan it says, “ The Salem Witch Trials may have only lasted 15 months, but over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft in that short time.”  This evidence supports my topic by showing that the witch trials happened during the 16th century, and killed many people. This links back to my thesis showing that witches affected England and Scotland in the 16th century. 

Scotland was also affected greatly by witches in the 16th century. In the NMS article Witches Iron Collar it says,“The Scottish witch craze began in earnest in 1590, with the trial of a group of people, mainly women, from East Lothian. They were accused of meeting with the Devil and conjuring up storms to destroy James VI on his return from Denmark with his bride, Anne”. This shows that during the 16th century, woman were thought to be witches, and ended up getting murdered. This links back to my thesis because many people were killed because they were thought to be witches or even just related to a witch.

The people who were thought to be witches went through many traumatic events, and were even killed. In the History Uk article Witches in Britain by Ellen Castelow it says, “From 1484 until around 1750 some 200,000 witches were tortured, burnt or hanged in Western Europe. Most supposed witches were usually old women, and invariably poor.”. This supports my claim because it states that woman were tortured and even killed for being a witch, even if they weren’t. This links back to my thesis because it shows that people were torchered for being, or not being, a witch.

Witchcraft was very prominent in England and Scotland in the late 16th early 17th century and affected their countries greatly. There are many things happening like this in the world right now. Discrimination is a big part of the world, and that is what happened to the witches. The reader should care because it affects everyone in the world.