Witch-Hunting in European and World History

Witch-Hunting in European and World History - Ronald Hutton

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Күн бұрын

Watch the Q&A session here: • Q&A: Witch-Hunting in ...
This lecture confronts the worldwide phenomenon of the persecution of suspected witches, now a serious, contemporary problem condemned by the UN in 2021.
It will show what has been unusual about Europe in this global pattern, and why the notorious early modern witch hunts there commenced and ended.
This lecture was recorded by Ronald Hutton on 5th June 2024 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London
Ronald is Gresham Professor of Divinity.
He is also Professor of History at the University of Bristol.
The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website:
www.gresham.ac...
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Пікірлер: 130

@Vivisectus 2 ай бұрын

Prof Hutton should be on the Unesco list of (inter) national treasures.

@johnstewartrichards5922 2 ай бұрын

Shall we together put a spell on UNESCO to make this happen ; )

@whssy 2 ай бұрын

I love watching a guy who sounds like all the vicars I remember from my childhood, talking about the things that vicars would never talk about.

@tuomasronnberg5244 2 ай бұрын

Both prof. Hutton and Alec Ryrie are a joy to listen to, such good elocutors.

@henryjohnfacey8213 2 ай бұрын

Actually not true he was probably saving his young charges from night mares or being accused of harm by parents. Our Rector was involved with two universities looking into the paranormal. I learnt this after I was involved in an incident. Only yesterday we were discussing the massacre of women, like the massive persecution of Jews, across Europe under the gise of witch craft. Or the wars between religions . Usually single old or vulnerable woman were victims and usually for property. Through the centuries we've done nothing but massacre one another, so the European union was formed in part, in order to stop this violence and selfharm. "Paraphrase" from a speech by Winston Churchill. 1947.

@henryjohnfacey8213 2 ай бұрын

We also were discussing holy wells. ! ! !

@UlyssesHaq 2 ай бұрын

So much humanity and compassion in this presentation. Enlightening and captivating!

@luannschomel2642 2 ай бұрын

Each time I listen to a lecture from Professor Hutton , I can't help but think what I could have achieved , if I had had just one educator like him...😊

@serendipidus8482 2 ай бұрын

Oh I had a thousand lecturers like him without ever attending college. It's called the library. 😂

@annaharvey8729 2 ай бұрын

@serendipidus8482 Well, the last Tory government here in the UK put paid to that. They defunded councils, and therefore, a lot of our libraries had to close.

@wyvrennemacdaniels6813 2 ай бұрын

im a simple nerd. i see Professor Ronald Hutton, and I click. ❤

@RatzoMcFatso 2 ай бұрын

Prof Hutton is a real force. So brilliant and so empathetic.

@KernowekTim 2 ай бұрын

Superb, as always. Thank you Professor Ronald Hutton. And thank you Gresham College. My subscription to this channel has been one of my better life choices.

@daydays12 2 ай бұрын

Mine too 🙂

@johnmurray2995 2 ай бұрын

Fascinating. Did not expect the contemporary angle at all, not something I had thought about or was aware of. Always a great lecture from Prof. Hutton.

@endlessnameless6628 2 ай бұрын

Love Professor Hutton lectures!

@daa5249 2 ай бұрын

Sounds like he wants to colonize these counties.

@Ets638 2 ай бұрын

I’m so sorry I couldn’t listen the feedback was so jarring to my ear, I can’t believe someone didn’t know better to fix it, I can’t imagine trying to sit thru this wonderful lecture by a truly brilliant man.

@annecampbell9621 2 ай бұрын

Professor Hutton is a pleasure to listen to. Appalling that witch persecution is still a thing. Thank you for sharing your wisdom. PS you are very stylish.

@thomasklima215 2 ай бұрын

When the world seems insane i'll pop over to youtube for Prof. Ronald Hutton and Irving Finkel and suddenly i'm reassured.

@semaJ455 2 ай бұрын

Yet another brilliant lecture by Prof. Hutton.

@raniafowler4599 2 ай бұрын

Love listening and learning from Ronald Hutton! Many thanks for making these videos and sharing them with us!

@AmazingJane137 2 ай бұрын

Brilliant lecture. Thankyou.

@polanve 2 ай бұрын

So very important! Thank you!

@carolbialy5920 2 ай бұрын

Absolutely fascinating and quite frightening. Thank you,, Professor Hutton.

@10toMidnight 19 күн бұрын

Prof Hutton could give a talk on the care and feeding of the domestic Yak and make it sound fascinating…

@jamesallison4875 2 ай бұрын

So interesting on many levels. I love your lectures! Thanks.

@dorteweber3682 2 ай бұрын

excellent lecture, beautifully delivered.

@henryjohnfacey8213 2 ай бұрын

Brilliant thank you for broad casting. I have listened to a few of Professors lectures. Thank you for broadening my mind. I shall purchase his books and look out for more lectures. Thank you again. From St Oswald's Yorkshire. 😊

@catherineseear7069 2 ай бұрын

I love Ronald Hutton & this particular lecture was of great interest to me. I have a relationship to witchcraft & Curses. My thoughts are that when a land is surrounded by water ; Christianity & Witchcraft from ancient times come together. ie. Haiti & Ireland. My Grandmother was a catholic from Eire. But she was a “traveler” & married my Grandfather who wasn’t. I think she was beautiful, hence he married what he called a Tinker when they argued. I assure you that even catholic priests believed in Witchcraft & curses in the 1900’s🧙 Belief is all you need to harm a person who believes🧙 Not many people in the UK do but cultures bring their biases. ❤Anyway I loved your lecture. How do I see one of your lectures live?

@JanetClancey Ай бұрын

I met you once at a pagan conference… you signed my book … you lectured there about druids I think at short notice it was amazing thank you for sharing knowledge for years I really appreciate it 🙏🙏🙏

@jasonhatfield3084 2 ай бұрын

Your lectures get better and better, Prof. Hutton.

@fionntainmacb Ай бұрын

Thank you Ronald for these glimpses which appear to bring a more balanced perspective to the characters, events, and outcomes of secular/religious belief and actions in world witch history.... very compelling and expansive. I, whoever 'i' am, wish to add that in the belief system that appears to control my actions there is a space that allows for the acknowledgement that all stories, all his-story, all current affairs and desires for future outcomes and acquisitions are all part of source energy happening now in this moment, beyond time, a magical inexplicable energy which we all are incorporated into and brought into existence by. In short all is perfect. At its core, all is well :-)

@snorribjorn5074 2 күн бұрын

Interesting and informative, as always! Thank you for sharing with the rest of us!

@verhalenvrouwe 2 ай бұрын

Very interesting lecture. As a side note regarding the voodoo death, I recall a case of someone being cursed through voodoo and was said to die on a certain day. This man believed he would die that day. The only reason he survived was because he was brought to a dark room so he had no perception of time and was let out after that day had passed. Another side note: I noticed that witch hunts started ramping up during the time Christianity was divided into Catholics and Protestants, but this lecture did a great job putting into perspective why this happened. I also read before that in early medieval times it often wasn't the person who was accused of witchcraft that was put to death, but the accuser because believing in magic and therefore in witches was heretic.

@kyrieT418 12 күн бұрын

Thank you again for a wonderful lecture and perspectives on both modern and historical situations in Europe and around the globe. It is exciting to get a clearer picture on systems of political and religious behavior and their effects on culture and human populations in different groups. These fears and superstions are sadly still influencing modern medical care and access to societal needs of disabled citizens around the world.

@TheNeech 2 ай бұрын

Gresham really need a decent live sound engineer, Ronnie Hutton Rocks way to hard for this subpar audio!

@serendipidus8482 2 ай бұрын

I quite like the audio. Apart from the twang reverbing. Little Bell now and then. But it's pretty warm and a nice amount of echo... just that little harmonic that's slightly annoying. 😳

@thirdratecontent585 2 ай бұрын

I love listening to Professor Hutton!

@GlassEyedDetectives 2 ай бұрын

What a fantastic series of talks, thank you. i hope we can end heterodox-hunting too....

@ivy-fo3bx Ай бұрын

Brilliant as always, thank you Prof Hutton

@thelostone6981 2 ай бұрын

Great insights! Years ago,I was in northern Norway and came across a book with the English translations from all the hand written notes from the witch trials from the 1600s. I didn’t buy it and always regretted it, but my partner was just there and tracked down a copy for me. It is eye opening and it makes the Salem witch trials look like an unfortunate car accident. But it’s so clear we are just hard wired to have our in and out groups and unscrupulous people and groups will insure others suffer just because [insert any reason here]? It breaks my heart because when I think of how far we’ve come, we’re always sliding backwards….

@carolbialy5920 2 ай бұрын

@@thelostone6981 what is the name of the book?

@Glesga_lassie Ай бұрын

Was it about the Vardo witch trials? If so do you have the name?

@MrFritz23 Ай бұрын

@@Glesga_lassiehave you visited the witch memorial there? It is so moving. .

@Glesga_lassie Ай бұрын

@MrFritz23 I haven't, but would love to. I've read about the Norway witch trials extensively though.

@DemstarAus 2 ай бұрын

So interesting to me that people accused witches of evil when tribes and communities have engaged in magic rituals for all sorts of purposes. Traditions all across Europe and the World had brides carry fertility symbols on their wedding days. Used amulets or idols representing different things that are burned, carried, or placed in the home. People buried food sacrifices in their fields, or sacrificed animals for abundance. They perform religious rites that involve chanting, candles, music, specific robes, carried out on specific days... pot and kettle if I've ever heard of one! The idea that a witch is anything different from the village seer, shaman, or priest is incredible.

@algeflix 2 ай бұрын

Interesting that there's no mention of Malleus Maleficarum or King James VI, even if only to dismiss their importance in European witch hunts compared to "bottom-up".

@faithlesshound5621 2 ай бұрын

"The wisest fool in Christendom" simply went with the flow. He saw which way the crowd was going, so he ran to be at their head.

@Wicanrede 2 ай бұрын

One of my favourite writers and historians bright blessings )0(

@stevemorris270 2 ай бұрын

What about theft of property as a motive? Didn't the property of neighbors get stolen by accusation? Elimination of competition? The Nazis profited by theft of the wealth of its victims, wouldn't the same be true in almost all persecutions?

@DianaStevens42 2 ай бұрын

Absolutely

@Mayakran 2 ай бұрын

Potentially, but how property is acquired or redistributed varied wildly between cultures. It may have been a factor but not a leading cause.

@m.aj11 Ай бұрын

The Albigensian crusade comes to mind as well...

@MarioSchlemmer-s5k Ай бұрын

Witch hunting could have been increased and inspired by the discovery of the americans. The stories about human sacrifice practiced by the native americans could have given some italians and germans ideas. Witch hunting then would be as american as potatoes and tabacco, not just in Salem.

@niiwin6595 4 күн бұрын

Always brilliant and beautifully spoken my fav historian 🐬

@BillSikes. 2 ай бұрын

Arguably the greatest mind of this period

@oaktreet4335 2 ай бұрын

Let's not go overboard

@mysticusfreeze 2 ай бұрын

44:18 i wonder if the introduction of new world produce such as tomatoes and corn around that time also rlly helped

@davepx1 2 ай бұрын

Probably not much, as those were grown overwhelmingly in southern regions that hadn't been drawn into the hysteria in the first place: more relevant would be the potato, but even in most of Ireland that didn't play a big role until after 1700, and takeup in Germany (the epicentre of the persecution) followed behind. So I'd say advances in food availability before then were more about improved agricultural techniques and better market conditions after the disruptions of the C16 and the first half of the C17 - but I think you can see such effects from around the 1650s, so the chronology fits.

@tavuzzipust7887 Ай бұрын

The great witch-hunts were a product of the Renaissance, early-modern Europe's rediscovery of classical literarure and its portrayal of maleficent witches that led to the rejection of the Canon Episcopi's dismissal of belief in witches as a susperstition.

@helenswan705 2 ай бұрын

I can hardly bear to listen as this hurts me. But I respect Hutton so I will try.

@daydays12 2 ай бұрын

Such a good man...such a good lecturer. Thank you so much

@susanp.collins7834 2 ай бұрын

Shock is DEFINITELY a medical condition!

@charliefowkes1932 2 ай бұрын

Brilliant 👏🏻

@alexandrekaminski3527 2 ай бұрын

I recall in Ivory Coast that a family related to the land owner who had sold piece of land to my boss had then buried a food beating pestle in the land. All the workers then refused to go work there believing the ones who will work the field will die. We ended in the prosecutor office who took it very seriously explaining the matter was in the intent and the meaning for that everybody will be threatened by this action. I realize the power of self-conviction and tribal rings of obligation/dependence as it happens if something would have been seen working it wouldn't have necessarily be by the owner but that indeed it is probable the worker would have indeed died after that through witchcraft. Witches are often the end culprint but it's because there are people addressing the cause to them.

@ludicrousfunone5705 2 ай бұрын

Love these lectures however as a Trained music technician i can safely say im not loving the horrific feedback through the professor's microphone. Who ever does the sound needs to be fired 😂. Jk

@myparceltape1169 Ай бұрын

Now that the rioting has stopped in England we still need to find a way to educate people who have lived here for generations and those who not about their demons.

@NSBarnett 2 ай бұрын

What a good lecture! I would have liked, though, a comparison or extrapolation of the three motivations -- Islam; climate; and disease -- that applied to Europe in past centuries, to motivations which apply to sub-Saharan Africa, India, etc., where deaths are being caused today.

@xxbatflowerxx 2 ай бұрын

Why were we taught to fear witches, and not the ones that burned them?

@helenamcginty4920 2 ай бұрын

As an ex Roman Catholic who grew up watching a man dressed in special robes hold up a large host, mutter some 'magic' words in Latin to turn the host into the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ, I became appalled by the hypocrisy of Christians in decrying magic as practiced by people of other cultures. This is not to deny the aid and comfort that religions, including Roman Catholicism can bring to believers. As, despite now being an atheist religions codify for most of us our ethical outlook on life as well as the knowledge that ritual and community are extremely important to most of humanity and should not be sneered at.

@jamescampbell39 2 ай бұрын

Professor Hutton must be a time lord look how he is dressed lol.

@KikiMav 2 ай бұрын

7:08 Shock is a hundred percent a medical condition with clear signs, as in metabolic shock, hemorrhagic shock, septic shock etc... But it's something a clinician can diagnose and describe clearly. I believe the cases you describe had been mislabeled as shock in a more abstract way, without fiting the criteria. So I don't disagree with your argument, but the statement "shock is not a medical condition" is false and makes you sound less credible. Hopefully you can rephrase it more accurately in the future.

@stewartclarke690 2 ай бұрын

The lack of sound quality hurts my ears I want to listen I just can't. Sorry

@franklangholf2698 2 ай бұрын

Is there a connection with the renaissance, reformation, and other changes in church and culture?

@serendipidus8482 2 ай бұрын

Yeah a few. Lol. 😂

@kariannecrysler640 2 ай бұрын

Are the totals taken from written records? Is there any evidence of non recorded/tried deaths?

@danieljoseph255 Ай бұрын

Nothing but a sorcerer feeling the walls closing in on him

@wyvrennemacdaniels6813 2 ай бұрын

i somehow hope you see this professor Hutton. Thank you for not villifying my people of the new age pagan community when you mentioned us in passing. i have seen several other lectures where even the passing mention of pagans is excuse enough to say inappropriate things and with such a delicate subject as the innocent people murdered during the witch hunts it would have been easy to slide into the way of thinking. as usual though you have been informative, thought stirring, and admirable.

@mjcaw5790 21 күн бұрын

I love this professor

@josephturner7569 2 ай бұрын

Shock is very much a medical condition.

@GoBlueGirl78 2 ай бұрын

Yeah, weird he said that. I wonder if he meant shell shock? It’s technically a psychological, not medical, condition.

@josephturner7569 2 ай бұрын

@@GoBlueGirl78 Possibly. Known today as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It presents in various degrees.

@kylewilliams8114 2 ай бұрын

I think there's shock, the medical condition, and then shock, in the colloquial sense, aka being amazed or wowed into a stupor

@josephturner7569 2 ай бұрын

@@kylewilliams8114 That is surprised.

@kylewilliams8114 2 ай бұрын

@@josephturner7569 Yes, which is how shock has been used traditionally before it was used as a name of a medical condition.

@aaroninky 2 ай бұрын

interesting about the contemporary movement to abolish witch-hunting ... if the belief/practice is indeed rooted in structural misogyny, as the popular feminist critique has it, then such a movement is surely very ambitious, taken on a global level. one could look at related efforts to level 'gender apartheid' accusations at states such as in the newly returned taliban in afghanistan, who have similarly ideologically entrenched beliefs and practices. all very agreeable - but thus far the 'opining' of international bodies on their internal affairs (as opposed to international intervention, which we hardly need say hasn't worked after 20+ years of trying and trillions of dollars in this case) has achieved very little. to stay with the taliban's gender apartheid, indeed they seem very recalcitrant to change on this point, despite any attempts at diplomatic entreaty, reason, or coercion. these deep-rooted forms of misogyny serve deep and structural purposes in their respective societal contexts, whether the magical/occult in a destabilised christian europe or in islamic theology as applied to pashtun-tribal patterns in afghanistan. i think it will take more than historicising witchcraft to persuade current-day witch-hunters to give up their craft!

@joeblogs-ls1bi 2 ай бұрын

"Nobody knew why the turks kept winning... " having gunpower weapons might have had something todo with it!

@krisbest6405 2 ай бұрын

I believe they owned property so it would be confiscated?

@fijaystudio Ай бұрын

Huh? Slavery has not been wiped out, it is in fact flourishing

@thomasdequincey5811 2 ай бұрын

That feminist definition of a Witch is as banal as it gets. Without turgid cliche feminists would have nothing to say.

@youtubecensors5419 2 ай бұрын

Unfortunately we missed a few witches 🔥🧙🏼

@declassified1 Ай бұрын

You'll find them half way up Tôr Hill huddled around the Well at every hour of the day without fail.

@MarioSchlemmer-s5k Ай бұрын

It started as a rennaissance phenomenon, first italian, than northern rennaisance.

@danwylie-sears1134 2 ай бұрын

I say that no country should be allowed to persecute people for witchcraft -- and they have no right to stop me because colonialism is traditional to my culture.

@LeeGee 2 ай бұрын

Timely

@josephturner7569 2 ай бұрын

I'm with Terry Pratchett on witches.

@susanp.collins7834 2 ай бұрын

Oh YES!!! Isn't Tiffany Aching your favourite fictional character ever?

@GordonShuffell 2 ай бұрын

Brilliant lecture s but why are witches always depicted with pointed hats

@JariDawnchild 2 ай бұрын

Antisemitic propaganda.

@ryfr6711 Ай бұрын

Shock is a medical condition. Look up medical shock

@niklavssenkans8341 16 күн бұрын

why was it used as a death penalty in the Middle Ages burning at the stake alive

@andrewwhelan7311 2 ай бұрын

Gwrach , the ancient Briton's name for witch was ancient long before the Saxon set foot in Britain. There were no witch hunts on Wales. They were revered herbalists.

@TheMarquisLovenorn 2 ай бұрын

5 people were killed over Witchcraft in Wales so. Gwen ferch Ellis was killed for witchcraft. You can't prove Gwrach is Ancient Brittonic either. Brittonic changed a lot to what it was before the Romans.

@wateryearthdowsingsolutions 2 ай бұрын

I am a water witch. Also water diviner.

@brendanryan6740 2 ай бұрын

best fashion ever

@OceanHedgehog 2 ай бұрын

He looks and sounds like Bill Nighy portraying Ben Franklin

@curtiswfranks 2 ай бұрын

Hutton ⇒ button.

@yensid4294 2 ай бұрын

❤

@daydays12 2 ай бұрын

Misogyny and fear of women is so deeply rooted in male humanity - horrific 😞

@susanp.collins7834 2 ай бұрын

Look, every month women do something that men CANNOT get their heads around - they bleed from their 'private parts'. For FIVE DAYS. And they DON'T DIE!!