There has been a lot of political talk about "witch hunts" lately. But what did a real witch hunt actually entail? In addition to being Halloween, October 31st is also the anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. It was on October 31, 1517 that Martin Luther's "95 Theses Against Indulgences" were first nailed to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, sparking a series of events that would become one the greatest religious schisms in the history of the world.

This lecture will explore the connections between religious change, witchcraft, witch hunting, and the feminine ideal in early modern Europe.

Period appropriate costumes