Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · History
Course version: 9HI0 · Version from Sept 2015
The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750 - 3 The…
Full specification wording
Paper 3, Option 33: The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750 - 3 The Great Witch Hunt, in Bamberg, Germany, 1623–32: The reasons for the ending of the craze: the influence of the Emperor Ferdinand II and the Imperial Chamber Court; the arrival of the Swedish Army.
The Bamberg craze declined in the early 1630s through interacting pressures.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 3 of 3
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
The Bamberg craze declined in the early 1630s through interacting pressures. Emperor Ferdinand II and the Imperial Chamber Court intervened: complaints from relatives of victims, such as Georg Heinrich Flock who appealed on behalf of his wife Dorothea, prompted imperial criticism and legal challenges to confiscations and procedure. This raised the political and legal cost of continuing trials. Meanwhile, the arrival of the Swedish Army in Germany during the Thirty Years' War disrupted Bamberg's administration, occupied territory and ended the prince-bishop's control, making further large-scale prosecutions impossible. These factors combined to halt the hunts through imperial intervention and wartime disruption.
What earns the marks
- Explain how Emperor Ferdinand II's influence, including imperial criticism and pressure, raised doubts about the legality and reputation of the Bamberg trials.
- Explain how the Imperial Chamber Court became a forum for complaints, especially from relatives of victims such as Georg Heinrich Flock, challenging confiscations and trial procedure.
- Show that legal and political intervention increased the cost and risk of continuing prosecutions for Prince-Bishop von Dornheim and his officials.
- Explain how the arrival of the Swedish Army in Germany during the Thirty Years' War disrupted Bamberg's administration and ended the prince-bishop's authority.
- Analyse how military occupation and wartime chaos made further systematic witch trials practically impossible.
- Evaluate the relative weight of imperial and legal pressure against military disruption in ending the craze, reaching a supported judgement.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Treating the end of the craze as caused by a single factor.
Put it right: Imperial and legal pressure combined with Swedish military disruption.
Assuming the Emperor directly ordered an end to all trials.
Put it right: His influence and the Imperial Chamber Court's challenges raised legal and political obstacles rather than issuing a simple blanket ban.
Ignoring the Thirty Years' War context.
Put it right: The Swedish Army's arrival in Germany directly disrupted Bamberg's government and made continued prosecutions impossible.
Overlooking the role of victims' relatives.
Put it right: Complaints such as those connected to Georg Heinrich Flock helped bring abuses to imperial attention.
Exam tips
- Structure answers around the two named factors and explain how they interacted rather than listing them separately.
- Use precise evidence, such as the Imperial Chamber Court, Emperor Ferdinand II and the Swedish Army, to support each causal claim.
- Make a clear judgement about which factor was more decisive, or explain why they were mutually reinforcing.
- Connect the ending of the craze to the wider Thirty Years' War context to show understanding of political and military disruption.
Try the lesson
The start of the Paper 3, Option 33: The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750 - 3 The Great Witch Hunt, in Bamberg, Germany, 1623–32: The reasons for the ending of the craze: the influence of the Emperor Ferdinand II and the Imperial Chamber Court; the arrival of the Swedish Army. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which body intervened in the Bamberg witch trials and helped bring about their end?
Listen
The Bamberg craze declined in the early 1630s through interacting pressures. Emperor Ferdinand II and the Imperial Chamber Court intervened: complaints from relatives of victims, such as Georg Heinrich Flock who appealed on behalf of his wife Dorothea, prompted imperial criticism and legal challenges to confiscations and procedure. This raised the political and legal cost of continuing trials. Meanwhile, the arrival of the Swedish Army in Germany during the Thirty Years' War disrupted Bamberg's administration, occupied territory and ended the prince-bishop's control, making further large-scale prosecutions impossible. These factors combined to halt the hunts through imperial intervention and wartime disruption. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Explain how Emperor Ferdinand II's influence, including imperial criticism and pressure, raised doubts about the legality and reputation of the Bamberg trials. Explain how the Imperial Chamber Court became a forum for complaints, especially from relatives of victims such as Georg Heinrich Flock, challenging confiscations and trial procedure. Show that legal and political intervention increased the cost and risk of continuing prosecutions for Prince-Bishop von Dornheim and his officials. Explain how the arrival of the Swedish Army in Germany during the Thirty Years' War disrupted Bamberg's administration and ended the prince-bishop's authority. A common slip: Treating the end of the craze as caused by a single factor. Instead, imperial and legal pressure combined with Swedish military disruption. Exam tip: Structure answers around the two named factors and explain how they interacted rather than listing them separately.
Key words
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Imperial and legal intervention
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Thirty Years' War disruption
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Limits of princely authority
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Causation and relative significance
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See every definition
- Imperial and legal intervention
- Influence of Emperor Ferdinand II and the Imperial Chamber Court, prompted by complaints from relatives of victims, which raised the political and legal cost of continuing trials.
- Thirty Years' War disruption
- Arrival of the Swedish Army in Germany, which disrupted Bamberg's administration, occupied territory and ended the prince-bishop's control, making further large-scale prosecutions impossible.
- Limits of princely authority
- The prince-bishop's control was ended by the Swedish Army's arrival, making further large-scale prosecutions impossible.
- Causation and relative significance
- Imperial intervention and wartime disruption combined to halt the hunts, so the end of the craze is not caused by a single factor.
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