HSTEU305 TIMELINE
GENERAL BACKGROUND FOR EUROPEAN
WITCHCRAFT COURSE
BC = Before Christ / AD = After Christ
BCE = Before the Common Era / CE = Common Era
Classical World
Rome: 2cd C. AD: allegations against
Christians of orgies and cannibalism
(see Cohn Ch 1: “Prelude in
Antiquity")
313 AD conversion of Emperor Constantine
Christianity becomes official religion of
410 AD
476 AD Fall of
Middle Ages (approx. 5th C - 15th C AD)
5-8th C. conversion of north European
tribes to Christianity
800 Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor
of German Nation
11-12th C rise of
towns, universities
13th C. heretical groups:
Cathars & Waldensians
mendicant orders:
Dominicans & Franciscans
medieval (episcopal) Inquisition founded
scholasticism: Thomas Aquinas,
14th C. Black Death (bubonic plague):
first struck in 1348
remains endemic in
Renaissance (revival of Greek & Latin art,
learning)
15th C. in
Reformation 16th C.
1517 Luther's 95 Theses: start of German
Reformation
1521 Luther excommunicated at Diet of
1534 Calvin begins reform of
1534 Henry VIII breaks with
1555 Peace of Augsburg: political settlement of German Reformation
Scientific Revolution 16th - 17th C.
1543 Copernicus
proposed heliocentric theory:
On the
Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres
1630 trial of Galileo by Roman
Inquisition in
on charges of
Copernicanism
1687
Enlightenment 18th C. (Voltaire, Diderot, Encyclopedia)
cultural movement
stressing reason, natural law, power of
man over nature through
science & technology
Deists: believe in "clockmaker
God" who creates universe but does not interfere in his creation,
permitting it to run
according to scientifically knowable natural laws;
hostile to organized
religion and all "superstition," including belief in witchcraft & miracles
1789 French Revolution: application of
Enlightenment in political sphere
(e.g. Declaration of Rights of Man,
constitutional government)