The Middle Ages were a very difficult time for women. Any passer-by could accuse the girl of witchcraft, and more often than not, empty words reached the ears of those who thought they had the right to judge and execute. Between the 14th and 18th centuries, approximately 10 million so-called "witches" were burned in Europe. Most often, mass (Salem court, for example) hysteria began with specific persons - these girls.
Malin Matsdotter
In Stockholm, they believed that witches kidnap children. Malin Matsdotter, the hapless laundress, was accused of witchcraft and sentenced to be burned alive - a terrible execution common in Europe but never before seen in Sweden. At the trial, Malin refused to repent, declared herself innocent and went to the stake with her head held high. She became the first and last woman to be burned alive in Sweden. Rumor has it that it was decided because the municipality was simply frightened: even while burning at the stake, Malin did not utter a single word - and after all, everyone knows that witches are not afraid of pain.
Bridget Bishop
The famous Salem witch trial began with this woman. In 1692, Bridget owned two taverns at once, wore provocative outfits and, as it turned out later, was actually engaged in witchcraft at her leisure. During a search in Bridget's house, they found dolls for damage, stuck with needles. One depicted a recently deceased man, proof that stunned the people of Salem. At the trial, Bridget behaved extremely insolently, which quickly led her to execution. The bloody spectacle caused an attack of mass hysteria in society - in a short time, another 70 "witches" went to the stake.
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Anna Koldings
The weaver Koldings was accused of causing a storm to destroy Queen Anne's ship, who was traveling from Copenhagen to Scotland. Indeed, the caravel nearly sank in a violent storm and was forced to stop in Norway. Anna, nicknamed "Mother of the Devil", was arrested on charges of the mayor of Kronborg, who decided to curry favor with the king. During the torture, Anna not only confessed everything, but also named five more names of her accomplices - the mayor's wife as well. On an early spring morning, all the girls were burned right outside the walls of Kronborg.
Entienne Gillis
In 1613, more witches were burned in the Netherlands than in most of Europe. The first to go to the fire was Entienne Gillis, a midwife accused of cursing newborn babies. Entienne was already behind bars when a real pestilence began in the town of Stralene, which claimed the lives of hundreds of babies. After another torture, the girl pointed out the "assistants", the famous Roermond court took place, where 63 "witches" were burned.
Merga Bin
The German witch hunter (also abbot and mayor of the city of Fulda), Balthasar von Dernbach, arrested Mergu Bin on charges of killing his own husband with witchcraft. The pregnant widow was not freed from torture - the inquisition considered the devil himself the father of the unborn child. Mergu was quickly sentenced and burned, after which Dernbach got a taste and for the next three years chased witches throughout Hesse, as a result of which 250 more people were executed. The Fulda Witch Trials that went down in history ended only with the death of the abbot himself.