Witch-hunting

I just think this is cool. I mever stufied this side of the witch-hunt madness in school.

On the Italian peninsula, witch-hunters’ paranoia was by no means pervasive and the witch-trials that did occur were handled with extreme caution. As the center of the Renaissance, the Italian states flourished as the most economically, politically, and especially culturally advanced in Europe.[1] The caution and restraint of witch-trials can be credited to the intellectual framework of the Renaissance. The Renaissance undoubtedly impacted the understanding of witchcraft in the Italian states and while demonological works circulated throughout Italy, many Renaissance humanists published and spread counter-arguments, bringing back sources of antiquity and using reason to rebuke the existence of witches. Furthermore, during the Renaissance, members of all social classes in Italy accepted and glorified the individual’s ability to practice magic, giving many types of magic a positive connotation that by no means involved invoking demons or entering into a demonic pact. Because Italian cities were the center of these intellectual movements, the caution and restraint Italian authorities used when prosecuting witchcraft can be attributed to the Renaissance.

The Renaissance can be given much credit for the lack of convictions experienced in Italy. During the Renaissance, lasting from the late 1300s until 1600, Italy embraced a climate of cultural and social change as Renaissance thinkers brought back and relied upon the literary, scientific, and philosophical works of ancient Greece and Rome. [15] The Renaissance began in Florence and as it spread rapidly throughout the Italian city-states, humanism became the most defining intellectual movement. Humanism was based on the glorification of the individual and Renaissance thinkers shifted away from the collective conscious, centering the world on human beings. Based on the idea that humans are perfectly rational and the ultimate judges in all issues, humanism emphasized the potential of the human mind, ushering in an environment of questioning and learning that encouraged individuals to investigate and define the laws of nature and the physical world.[16] Renaissance scholars challenged the accepted intellectual views and approaches to philosophy, medicine, law and science of the Middle Ages and universities became hubs for innovative research in these fields.[17] While many Renaissance thinkers clashed with religious authorities, many prominent Church figures in Italy embraced the ideas of humanism and Church leaders of prosperous Italian cities grew more interested in politics than religion. Unlike other places in Europe where individuals were quick to accept the beliefs of the Church, this cultural shift towards the individual mind as the center of the universe empowered Italians to gain truths through looking inward, rather than turning to the Church. While Catholic religion remained important to every day life in Italy, the Renaissance in many ways ushered in a feeling of secularism through its glorification of intellectual achievement.

The intellectual innovations of the Renaissance certainly set Italy apart from other European nations and caused Italian cities to respond differently as ideas of the cumulative concept of witchcraft began to spread. Demonological sources spread the cumulative concept of witchcraft amongst the elites during the 1400s. While the Renaissance began in the fourteenth century, it truly took hold of the Italian city-states during the 1400s. Therefore, the cumulative concept of the witch and the demonic pact came to Italy at the height of the humanist intellectualism. In other areas of Europe, elites took the concept of the demonic pact as truth, however, Renaissance thinkers responded with criticisms and counter-arguments, often disproving the reality of witchcraft. During the 1400s, a large, diverse front of “theologians, philosophers, physicians, and jurists—many coming from Italian states—never ceased urging caution and voicing doubts, if not outright disbelief, in matters relating to witchcraft.”[18] Many intellectuals challenged the possibility of witchcraft relying on ancient theological texts. These skeptics argued that witchcraft, based on the demonic pact was virtually impossible based on the very nature of the Devil.

Lorenzo de’ Medici, asserted “that demons did not have any physical body, and therefore were unable to have any material contact with humans.”[20] Furthermore, these intellectuals believed that the devil had great delusory skills and made many women have visions or dreams that they were actually witches. Witches’ images occurred only because of their weak mind that was easily upset by the Devil’s powers.[21] Many of these skeptics relied upon ancient folk sources to show how these delusions were exactly like those of the old followers of Diana. [22] Through this reference, they undermined the reality of sabbat, describing it as a mere mental vision. In humanist fashion, many argued that based on his great, unwavering love of humankind, God would never “give the devil free reign so as to enable the witches to carry out such nefarious crimes.”[23] While many Italian Church authorities had steadfast beliefs in the threat of witchcraft or other types of bad magic that relied upon the powers of the Devil, they were challenged by this intellectual movement that considered the witches’ confessions harmless dreams.[24]

The arguments extended beyond theology and law, and many gave medical explanations justifying the myth of witchcraft. During the Renaissance, the study of the human body and medicine caused a transformation in the understanding of the potential causes behind illnesses. Milanese Andrea Alciato described witches from a psychological level, who suffered a “disease of the imagination that had been described by scientists and physicians from classical antiquity.”[29] In De Rerum Varietne, Girolama Cardano said that the imaginings of the so-called witches occurred because of their meager diet.[30] In De Praestigiis Daemonum, Johann Wier claimed that these illusions occur because of the unbalanced bodily humors, which inevitably disrupted their ability to think rationally.[31] Over the course of the Renaissance, individuals outside of the field of medicine began to rely upon physician’s knowledge and understand the natural caused behind illnesses, which is crucial to understanding the caution in the persecution of witches, especially cases of maleficia.

The Renaissance also impacted the reluctance to embrace the concept of witchcraft based on the positive connotation it put upon magic. As Christianity became more black and white, most places during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries condemned the practice of magic as heresy. Church authorities, fearing that magic would undermine the authority of God, claimed that individuals could only practice magic through association with the Devil and the use of his power. However, during the Renaissance, Italians understood magic in an entirely different way. Through the revival of ancient sources, many humanists emphasized that because of the power of humanity, magic could be performed at the hands of ordinary individuals. The Renaissance was a cultural world where magical powers and supernatural forces were a reality, active in daily lives of most Italians.[32] Renaissance revival of sources caused the diffusion of books based on magical themes, resting on the “deep knowledge of the connections of linking the earth to the higher heavens could enable humans to produce wondrous effects through the manipulation of the hidden properties of the natural world.”[33] In describing the characteristics of a natural magician, Giambattista della Porta, leading philosopher in early modern natural magic, wrote, “a natural magician must be an exact and very perfect philosopher with a deep knowledge on the characteristics of plants, metals, minerals, gems, and sons, as well as optics, the mathematical sciences and especially astrology- for the sundry motions and aspects of the heaves… many things receive both active and passive powers, and their manifold purposes.”[34] While different types of people in Italian society practiced different types of magic, almost all believed in and often relied upon magic. While lower-class women practiced love magic, educated elite males practiced natural magic, the type of magic described by the philosophers above.[35]

Italian Renaissance philosophers believed in both bad and good types of magic, shown by Pico della Mirandola, statement that, “Magic has two forms, one of which depends entirely on the work and authority of demons, a thing to be abhorred. The other is nothing else than the utter perfection of natural philosophy.”[36] Magic was even central to the lives of many Italian Church leaders and many Catholic priests depended on magic. Because the prevalence of magic extended from Church to one’s home, it was hard for Italians to associate magical acts with the Devil. Individuals witnessed the miracle of mass that occurred many times each day in churches. Both exorcists and lay leaders performed exorcisms through the use of prayer and herbal treatments.[37] At home, Italians practiced magic in a variety of ways, ranging from “divination ceremonies to find lost or stolen items to petitions for intercession directed at saints.”[38] Because Renaissance Italy embraced magic in this way, most Italians did not view magic, including witchcraft, as heresy and involvement with the Devil. The Inquisitors who attempted to spread ideas of the demonological pact and the cumulative concept of witchcraft were met with extreme skepticism and challenged based on the lack of connection between magic and devil worship.[39]

As I said, I just think this is cool. I can't help but imagine the frustration of some lowly foreign inquisitor itching to torture witches at the collective elite classes basically telling him "Dude you're full of SHIT"

Shame the same thing couldn't happen with the protestants.

tl;dr

Reading this post, I genuinely wonder whether Italian reluctance to get rid of witches could be one of the reasons why Italy is such a shithole nowadays.

The euro is a german idea, Italy was doing excellent before the tragic decision to adopt a common currency and give up its sovereignity to the EU. Back during the Renaissance when the Italians just told the Germans to fuck off everything was splendid, should have kept that philosophy.