Erik Midelfort Research Articles

Male Witches and Gendered Categories in Seventeenth-Century Russia

A generation ago, alert historians jolted the field of witchcraft studies by calling attention to the fact that it was women in particular who burned on the pyres of the European witch trials. Amazingly enough, earlier historians had overlooked, or at least underplayed that particular skew in the record. Now the idea of witch-hunts as a “women's holocaust” is old hat, and in fact, has made one of those rare successful crossovers into popular culture. Historical approaches never stay still, however, and recent publications have reoriented the discussion yet again. A spate of new interpretations, particularly by Stuart Clark and Robin Briggs, push gender off the center of the screen, arguing that other factors were equally or more important in shaping accusations. Other works muddy the waters by noting the many places, particularly in the Baltic and Scandinavia, but also pockets within Western Europe, where men, not women, comprised a large fraction or even the majority of the accused.Evidence of male witches in Estonia, Finland, and Iceland is found in Maia Madar, “Estonia I: Werewolves and Poisoners,” in Early Modern European Witchcraft: Centres and Peripheries, Bengt Ankarloo and Gustav Henningsen, eds. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993), 257–72; Juhan Kahak, “Estonia II: The Crusade against Idolatry,” in ibid., 273–84; Antero Heikkinen and Timo Kervinen, “Finland: The Male Domination,” in ibid., 319–38; Kirsten Hastrup, “Iceland: Sorcerers and Paganism,” in ibid., 383–401; Marko Nenonen, ‘”Envious are all the People, Witches Watch at Every Gate”: Finnish Witches and Witch Trials in the 17th Century,' Scandinavian Journal of History 18 (1993):77–91. In Western Europe, regions that produced larger trials generally included higher percentages of males among the accused. See E. William Monter, Witchcraft in France and Switzerland: The Borderlands during the Reformation (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1976); H. C. Erik Midelfort, Witch-Hunting in Southwestern Germany, 1562–1684: The Social and Intellectual Foundations (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1972). In the heart of Europe, France also offers some exceptionally high representation of males in particular jurisdictions, although not uniformly throughout the country. Alfred Soman finds that over half of the 1,300 defendants who appealed witchcraft convictions before the Parlement of Paris were male. Alfred Soman, “Les Proces de sorcellerie au Parlement de Paris (1565–1640),” Annales 32 (1977):790–814; and “La Sorcellerie vue du Parlement de Paris au debut du XVII e siecle,” Actes du 104 e congres national des societes savantes, Bordeaux, 1979, Section d'histoire moderne et contemporaine (Paris, 1981); and Sorcellerie et justice criminelle (16e–18e siecles) (London, 1992), 798–99. William Monter finds an extraordinary pocket of male witches in Normandy. “Here, in the Pays de Caux, lay the epicenter of male witchcraft in Western Europe.” W. Monter, “Toads and Eucharists: The Male Witches of Normandy, 1564–1660,” French Historical Studies 20 (1997):563–95, quote on 581. Other discussions of the involvement of men in witchcraft trials include Eva Labouvie, “Manner im Hexenprozess. Zur Sozialanthropologie eines ‘mannlichen' Verstadnisses vom Magie und Hexerei,” Geschichte und Gesellschaft 16 (1990):56–78; Robert W. Thurston, Witch, Wicce, Mother Goose: The Rise and Fall of the Witch Hunts in Europe and North America (London: Longman, 2001), 126–27.On Russia's male witches, see Russell Zguta, “Witchcraft Trials in Seventeenth-Century Russia,” American Historical Review 82 (1977):1187–207; Valerie Kivelson, “Through the Prism of Witchcraft: Gender and Social Change in Seventeenth-Century Muscovy,” in Russia's Women: Accommodation, Resistance, Transformation, Barbara Evans Clements, Barbara Alpern Engel, and Christine D. Worobec, eds. (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1991); A. S. Lavrov, Koldovstvo i religiia v Rossii, 1700–1740 gg. (Moscow: Drevlekhranilishche, 2000); E. B. Smilianskaia, Koldun i ved'ma v kontekste russkoi kul'tury XVIII veka (Moscow: ROO “Sodeistvie sotrudnichestvu Instituta imeni Dzh. Kennana,” 2000); “Sudebno-sledstvennye dokumenty kak istochnik po istorii obshchestvennogo soznaniia (iz opyta izucheniia “dukhovnykh del” pervoi poloviny XVIII v.),” in Issledovaniia po istorii knizhnoi i traditsionnoi narodnoi kul'tury Severa (Sytyvkar, 1997), 168–75; and her forthcoming book, Volshebniki, bogokhul'niki, eretiki. Narodnaia religioznost' i dukhovnye prestupleniia v Rossii XVIII veka (Moscow: Indrik, 2002). W. F. Ryan also acknowledges some gender imbalance among those accused in Russia, in, “The Witchcraft Hysteria in Early Modern Europe: Was Russia an Exception?” Slavonic and East European Review 76 (1998):49–84. Still, little systematic work has appeared that seriously attempts to sort out why in some areas people believed that, “particularly through the agency of woman are infernal enchantments brought to pass,” and elsewhere men became the more common targets of accusation.The quote is taken from an early Russian text, but the presence of this textual tradition did not prevent later Muscovites from accusing primarily male witches. The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text, Samuel Hazzard Cross and Olgerd P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor, trans and ed. (Cambridge, Mass.: The Medieval Academy of America, 1973), entry for the year 1071, p. 153.

A history of madness in sixteenth-century Germany. By H. C. Erik Midelfort. Pp. xvi+440 incl. 32 tables, 4 maps and 22 ills. Stanford CA: Stanford University Press, 1999. £35. 0 8047 3334 1

<i>A history of madness in sixteenth-century Germany</i>. By H. C. Erik Midelfort. Pp. xvi+440 incl. 32 tables, 4 maps and 22 ills. Stanford C<scp>A</scp>: Stanford University Press, 1999. £35. 0 8047 3334 1

Book Reviews

Journal Article Book Reviews Get access H. C. ERIK MIDELFORT. A History of Madness in Sixteenth-Century Germany. Stanford, California, Stanford University Press, 1999. ix, 438 pp., illus. $55.00. MARIJKE GIJSWIJT-HOFSTRA, Ph.D. MARIJKE GIJSWIJT-HOFSTRA, Ph.D. Department of History, University of AmsterdamSpuistraat 134, 1012 VB Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, Volume 56, Issue 1, January 2001, Pages 83–84, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhmas/56.1.83 Published: 01 January 2001

H C Erik Midelfort, A history of madness in sixteenth-century Germany, Stanford University Press, 1999, pp. xvi, 438, illus., £35.00, $55.00 (hardback 0-8047-3334-1).

H C Erik Midelfort, A history of madness in sixteenth-century Germany, Stanford University Press, 1999, pp. xvi, 438, illus., £35.00, $55.00 (hardback 0-8047-3334-1).

A History of Madness in Sixteenth-Century Germany (review)

Those who prefer close, contextual studies to the grand vistas of idealist histories have never warmed to the paradigm of "madness and civilization" proffered by Foucault and his disciples. For two decades H. C. Erik Midelfort has patiently laid siege to Foucault's claim that fools and crazies graced the streets and rivers of early modern Europe before "the great confinement." In his new book on madness in Germany from about 1480 to 1620, he gainsays that claim while providing new foundations for the study of madness, mental illness, and suicide.

A History of Madness in Sixteenth-Century Germany. H. C. Erik Midelfort

Previous articleNext article No AccessBook ReviewsA History of Madness in Sixteenth-Century Germany. H. C. Erik MidelfortDean Phillip BellDean Phillip Bell Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Journal of Religion Volume 80, Number 4Oct., 2000 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/490730 Views: 2Total views on this site Copyright 2000 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.

Shaman of Oberstdorf: Chonrad Stoeckhlin and the Phantoms of the Night. By Wolfgang Behringer. Translated by H. C. Erik Midelfort. Studies in Early Modern German History. Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1998. xvi + 203 pp. $49.50 cloth; $17.95 paper.

Shaman of Oberstdorf: Chonrad Stoeckhlin and the Phantoms of the Night. By Wolfgang Behringer. Translated by H. C. Erik Midelfort. Studies in Early Modern German History. Charlottesville, Va.: University Press of Virginia, 1998. xvi + 203 pp. 17.95 paper. - Volume 69 Issue 3

A History of Madness in Sixteenth-Century Germany. By H.C. Erik Midelfort (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1999. xvi plus 438pp. $55.00)

Journal Article A History of Madness in Sixteenth-Century Germany. By H.C. Erik Midelfort (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1999. xvi plus 438pp. $55.00) Get access Ann Goldberg Ann Goldberg University of California, Riverside Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Social History, Volume 34, Issue 1, Fall 2000, Pages 245–247, https://doi.org/10.1353/jsh.2000.0105 Published: 01 October 2000

H.C. Erik Midelfort, A History of Madness in 16th-Century Germany

H.C. Erik Midelfort, A History of Madness in 16th-Century Germany

H.C. Erik Midelfort. Mad Princes of Renaissance Germany. (Studies in Early Modern German History, 1.) Charlottesville and London: University Press of Virginia, 1994. 9 pls. + xii + 204 pp. $22.95.

H.C. Erik Midelfort. Mad Princes of Renaissance Germany. (Studies in Early Modern German History, 1.) Charlottesville and London: University Press of Virginia, 1994. 9 pls. + xii + 204 pp. $22.95. - Volume 49 Issue 1

The Revolution of 1525: The German Peasants' War from a New Perspective. By Peter Blickle. Translated by Thomas A. Brady, Jr., and H. C. Erik Midelfort. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1981. 246 pp. $20.00

The Revolution of 1525: The German Peasants' War from a New Perspective. By Peter Blickle. Translated by Thomas A. Brady, Jr., and H. C. Erik Midelfort. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1981. 246 pp. $20.00

Religious Practices and Collective Perceptions, Hidden Homologies in the Renaissance and Reformation, by Lionel Rothkrug. Foreword by John New. Commentary by Erik Midelfort and George Williams. Historical Reflections/Réflexions Historiques, vol. 7, no. 1 (Spring 1980)

<i>Religious Practices and Collective Perceptions, Hidden Homologies in the Renaissance and Reformation</i>, by Lionel Rothkrug. Foreword by John New. Commentary by Erik Midelfort and George Williams. <i>Historical Reflections/Réflexions Historiques</i>, vol. 7, no. 1 (Spring 1980)

The Renaissance of witchcraft research.

Journal of the History of the Behavioral SciencesVolume 13, Issue 3 p. 294-297 Book Review The renaissance of witchcraft research H. C. Erik Midelfort, H. C. Erik MidelfortSearch for more papers by this author H. C. Erik Midelfort, H. C. Erik MidelfortSearch for more papers by this author First published: July 1977 https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6696(197707)13:3<294::AID-JHBS2300130310>3.0.CO;2-4Citations: 1AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume13, Issue3July 1977Pages 294-297 RelatedInformation

Witch Hunting in Southwestern Germany, 1562-1684, by H. C Erik Midelfort

<i>Witch Hunting in Southwestern Germany, 1562-1684</i>, by H. C Erik Midelfort

REFORMATION STUDIES

Journal Article REFORMATION STUDIES Get access The Holy Spirit in the Theology of Martin Bucer. By W. P. STEPHENS. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1970. ix+291 pages. $14.50. hb. H. C. ERIK MIDELFORT H. C. ERIK MIDELFORT University of Virginia Department of History Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of the American Academy of Religion, Volume XLII, Issue 1, March 1974, Pages 186-b–187, https://doi.org/10.1093/jaarel/XLII.1.186-b Published: 01 March 1974

Witch Hunting in Southwestern Germany, 1562-1684: The Social and Intellectual Foundations. H. C. Erik Midelfort

<i>Witch Hunting in Southwestern Germany, 1562-1684: The Social and Intellectual Foundations</i>. H. C. Erik Midelfort

Witch Hunting in Southwestern Germany, 1562–1684: The Social and Intellectual Foundations. By H. C. Erik Midelfort. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1972. viii + 306 pp. $11.50.

Witch Hunting in Southwestern Germany, 1562–1684: The Social and Intellectual Foundations. By H. C. Erik Midelfort. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1972. viii + 306 pp. $11.50.

The Church and the Secular Order in Reformation Thought. By John Tonkin, Witch Hunting in Southwestern Germany 1562-1684: The Social and Intellectual Foundations. By H. C. Erik Midelfort and Mysticism and Dissent: Religious Ideology and Social Protest in the Sixteenth Century. By Steven E. Ozment

The Church and the Secular Order in Reformation Thought. By John Tonkin, Witch Hunting in Southwestern Germany 1562–1684: The Social and Intellectual Foundations. By H. C. Erik Midelfort and Mysticism and Dissent: Religious Ideology and Social Protest in the Sixteenth Century. By Steven E. Ozment H. Wayne Pipkin H. Wayne Pipkin Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of Church and State, Volume 15, Issue 1, Winter 1973, Pages 140–144, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcs/15.1.140 Published: 01 January 1973