Witchcraft and Magic in Europe : The Middle Ages

Jolly, Karen Louise; Raudvere, Catharina; Peters, Edward; Ankarloo, Bengt (EDT); Clark, Stuart (EDT)

ISBN 10: 0812217861 / ISBN 13: 9780812217865

Published by University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002

About this Item

Unread book in perfect condition.

Seller Inventory # 309858

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Witchcraft and Magic in Europe : The Middle Ages
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0812217861
• ISBN 13: 9780812217865
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: As New

About this title

Synopsis

During the Middle Ages a shared European concept of magic emerged. In the early period, pagan beliefs and practices were absorbed into everyday culture, including the rituals of the Church. The rise of the practice of "white magic" in the twelfth century became so popular that it caused a widespread determination in the Church to condemn any unsanctioned beliefs or practices. The Church and state, both centralized powers in a decentralized Europe, gradually sharpened their attitude toward magic in general, and sorcery and witchcraft in particular, paving the way for the violent outbreaks of witch persecutions in early modern Europe.

Witchcraft and Magic in Europe combines the traditional approaches of political, legal, and social historians with a critical synthesis of cultural anthropology, historical psychology, and gender studies. The series, complete in six volumes, provides a modern, scholarly survey of the supernatural beliefs of Europeans from ancient times to the present day. Each volume of this ambitious six-volume series contains the work of distinguished scholars chosen for their expertise in a particular era or region.

About the Author

Bengt Ankarloo is Professor of History at Lund University, Sweden. Stuart Clark is Professor of History at the University of Wales, Swansea.