|
|
|
Accused
|
Executed
|
|
Holy Roman Empire
|
~100,000+
|
~50,000+
|
|
Poland
|
?
|
~15,000+
|
|
France
|
10,000+
|
5,000+
|
|
British Isles
|
|
|
|
England
|
2,000
|
~1,000
|
|
Scotland
|
3,069
|
1,337+
|
|
Ireland
|
0
|
0
|
|
New England
|
334
|
35
|
|
Scandinavia
|
~5,000
|
1,500-1,800
|
|
Hungary
|
~1,600
|
472
|
|
Spain
|
3,687
|
100+
|
|
Italy
|
~2,200+
|
0?
|
Witchcraze: A New History of the European Witch Hunts, Anne Llewellyn Barstow, Pandora 1995. Adapted from Appendix B.
The period considered is roughly 1500-1650. There were few (~500) executions for witchcraft before 1500. It was a phenomenon of the Renaissance rather than of the Middle Ages.
The Holy Roman Empire figure includes the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and parts of modern France, as well as Germany and Austria. Poland was a huge country back then as well. Both Catholic and Protestant states persecuted witches. The low number of executions in Italy and Spain is due to the fact the Spanish Inquisition was more interested in heretics and in relapsed converts from Judaism, Islam, etc. than in accusations of witchcraft.
In most areas most of the victims (roughly 3/4) were female. Notable exceptions include Finland, Estonia and Russia, but the total numbers from these countries are not large.
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