Description:
Examines village interactions in the witch-hunt that tormented Navarre from 1608-1614. Includes the legal depositions of self-described child-witches, their parents, and their victims, illuminating the social, familial, and legal tragedies that could accompany witchcraft suspicions and accusations.
Brief description: Lu Ann Homza is Professor of European History at William & Mary. She is the editor of The Spanish Inquisition, 1478-1614: An Anthology of Sources and author of Religious Authority in the Spanish Renaissance and Village Infernos and Witches' Advocates: Witch-Hunting in Navarre, 1608-1614, the last also published by Penn State University Press.
Review Quotes:
"These invaluable cases will be of immense interest to anyone interested in the histories of early modern Spain, the Spanish Inquisition, witchcraft, law, popular culture, and childhood, among other topics. By opening up new perspectives on a famous set of witchcraft cases, Homza's collection offers new insights into social and familial dynamics that could fuel seemingly 'irrational' crazes. This is an outstanding resource for the study of early modern social, family, religious, and legal history."
--Michael Breen, author of Law, City and King: Legal Culture, Municipal Politics, and State Formation in Early Modern Dijon