#so to talk about that in the same breath as *actual* medieval folklore & blame them on 'the church'

[bookshelfdreams]

americans learn what the middle ages are challenge

[eolewyn1010]

#15th century? that's the very very tail end (depending on what landmark you chose for an end)#16th century? ABSOLUTELY THE FUCK NOT#and also the witch hunts weren't really a medieval thing they mostly took place in the early modern era#and largely weren't perpetuated by 'the church'#and the inquisition spanish or otherwise had nothing to do with them#because church doctrine actually was that belief in witchcraft is superstition; only god is all-powerful#yes heinrich kramer called himself institoris. that doesnt mean anything it's just a fancy title he gave himself.#and hey guess what! protestant regions were way worse about killing witches than catholic ones. 'the church'? that's catholicism babe#do you see the flaw in your argument#anyway of course theres not an exact endpoint to the middle ages however#it's a period of a relatively stable socioeconomic system that collapses for various reasons#& things like the witch panic are a symptom of that collapse#so to talk about that in the same breath as *actual* medieval folklore & blame them on 'the church'#(when the catholic church losing power and influence was ALSO part of that collapse!)#is careless and silly#esp when you call yourself a historian#rant over

@bookshelfdreams - may I keep those?

americans learn what the middle ages are challenge