Question

when and where did the witch trials begin?

Answer 1

The witch trials began in various locations throughout Europe and the Americas at different times, but notably, one of the earliest and most infamous episodes occurred in the late 15th century in Europe. The witch hunts gained momentum during the 16th and 17th centuries.

One of the earliest significant documents promoting witch hunts was the *Malleus Maleficarum* (The Hammer of Witches), published in 1487 by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, which laid out arguments for the existence of witches and methods for identifying and prosecuting them. This text contributed to the spread of witch-hunt fervor across Europe.

In England, the Pendle witch trial of 1612 is one of the most famous early examples. Meanwhile, in colonial America, the most well-known witch trials occurred in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692.

Overall, witch trials were prevalent in various regions, including Germany, Switzerland, France, and Europe more broadly, as well as in the early American colonies, and they occurred from the late 15th century through the 18th century.