Ihjälbrända på Kirseberg - Häxprocesser i Malmö under 1500-talet jämfört med senare svenska
(2016) LAGF03 20161Department of Law
Faculty of Law
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Uppsatsen fokuserar på häxprocesserna i Malmö under slutet av 1500-talet, då staden var en del av Danmark. Nationsbytet har lett till att hela regionen fått en oförtjänt förminskad roll i både svensk och dansk historieskrivning. Genom en komparativ studie inom ämnet rättshistoria jämför studien häxprocesserna i Malmö åren 1577 till 1583 med de dramatiska svenska processerna åren 1668 till 1676. De anklagade häxornas historia väcks till liv efter studier i Malmös domböcker. Bakgrundsinformation, om staden, dess rättssystem och det danska rättsläget för häxeri, presenteras. Detta kontrasteras sedan med de svenska häxprocesserna. Skillnaderna analyseras och förklaringar läggs fram.
Häxprocesserna i Malmö karaktäriseras av en traditionell... (More) - Uppsatsen fokuserar på häxprocesserna i Malmö under slutet av 1500-talet, då staden var en del av Danmark. Nationsbytet har lett till att hela regionen fått en oförtjänt förminskad roll i både svensk och dansk historieskrivning. Genom en komparativ studie inom ämnet rättshistoria jämför studien häxprocesserna i Malmö åren 1577 till 1583 med de dramatiska svenska processerna åren 1668 till 1676. De anklagade häxornas historia väcks till liv efter studier i Malmös domböcker. Bakgrundsinformation, om staden, dess rättssystem och det danska rättsläget för häxeri, presenteras. Detta kontrasteras sedan med de svenska häxprocesserna. Skillnaderna analyseras och förklaringar läggs fram.
Häxprocesserna i Malmö karaktäriseras av en traditionell sorts skadande magi. Den anklagade påstods ha använt häxeri för att skada sitt offer, ofta genom sjukdom. De senare svenska processerna innehåller en ny föreställning om djävulen och färder till det mytiska Blåkulla. Häxeri är inte längre något som hanteras som en tvist mellan individer, utan utförs av djävulens tjänare och utgör ett existentiellt hot mot samhället. Som konsekvens använder rättsväsendet extraordinära metoder för att motverka denna ondska. Hanteringen av vittnesmål, det ackusatoriska förfarandet och användandet av tortyr förändras och frångår det konventionella.
Detta förklaras med den internationella utvecklingen mot att betrakta djävulen som källan till allt häxeri. Eftersom de svenska häxprocesserna ägde rum en relativt lång tid efter de undersökta i Malmö, används tidens gång som förklaring till de olika tillvägagångssätten. De två grannländerna är annars mer lika än olika. Andra skillnader, såsom överinstanserna som endast var relevanta i de svenska fallen, kan också förklaras skillnader i tid, eftersom en annan förändring var den ökade sofistikeringen av rättsväsendena. (Less) - Abstract
- The essay focuses on witch trials in the city of Malmö during the late 16th century. At the time a part of Denmark, it is now Swedish. The region’s change of nationality has relegated it to an undeservedly obscure place within both Swedish and Danish historiography. A comparative study within the field of legal history, the essay compares witch trials in Malmö during 1577 to 1583 with the dramatic Swedish witch trials during 1668 to 1676. Through study of the Malmö court records, the accused witches’ stories are brought to life. Background information, about the city, its legal system and Danish law on witchcraft, is provided. This is then compared with the Swedish trials. The differences are analysed and explanations for them are... (More)
- The essay focuses on witch trials in the city of Malmö during the late 16th century. At the time a part of Denmark, it is now Swedish. The region’s change of nationality has relegated it to an undeservedly obscure place within both Swedish and Danish historiography. A comparative study within the field of legal history, the essay compares witch trials in Malmö during 1577 to 1583 with the dramatic Swedish witch trials during 1668 to 1676. Through study of the Malmö court records, the accused witches’ stories are brought to life. Background information, about the city, its legal system and Danish law on witchcraft, is provided. This is then compared with the Swedish trials. The differences are analysed and explanations for them are provided.
The witch trials in Malmö are characterised by a traditional form of damaging magic. The accused has allegedly used witchcraft to harm the victim, often through illness. The later Swedish trials feature a new fixation on the Devil and the Witches’ Sabbath, known to take place at the mythical Blåkulla. No longer a quarrel between individuals, the practice of witchcraft is now evidence for devil-worship and an existential threat to society. As a result, the legal system uses extraordinary measures to curtail this evil. The treatment of witnesses, the accusatory process and the use of torture all divert from conventional practice.
This is explained by the international shift toward seeing the Devil as the source of all witchcraft. Since the Swedish trials take place quite some time after those in Malmö, the passage of time is the main explanation for the different approaches. The two neighboring countries are, after all, more similar than not. Other differences, such as the appeals procedure only present in Sweden, can also be explained by the passage of time, since another change was the increased sophistication of legal systems. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/8874360
- author
- Edsjö, Alexander LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- LAGF03 20161
- year
- 2016
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- rättshistoria, komparativ rätt, häxor, häxprocesser, Malmö
- language
- Swedish
- id
- 8874360
- date added to LUP
- 2016-07-03 21:32:01
- date last changed
- 2016-07-03 21:32:01
@misc{8874360,
abstract = {{The essay focuses on witch trials in the city of Malmö during the late 16th century. At the time a part of Denmark, it is now Swedish. The region’s change of nationality has relegated it to an undeservedly obscure place within both Swedish and Danish historiography. A comparative study within the field of legal history, the essay compares witch trials in Malmö during 1577 to 1583 with the dramatic Swedish witch trials during 1668 to 1676. Through study of the Malmö court records, the accused witches’ stories are brought to life. Background information, about the city, its legal system and Danish law on witchcraft, is provided. This is then compared with the Swedish trials. The differences are analysed and explanations for them are provided.
The witch trials in Malmö are characterised by a traditional form of damaging magic. The accused has allegedly used witchcraft to harm the victim, often through illness. The later Swedish trials feature a new fixation on the Devil and the Witches’ Sabbath, known to take place at the mythical Blåkulla. No longer a quarrel between individuals, the practice of witchcraft is now evidence for devil-worship and an existential threat to society. As a result, the legal system uses extraordinary measures to curtail this evil. The treatment of witnesses, the accusatory process and the use of torture all divert from conventional practice.
This is explained by the international shift toward seeing the Devil as the source of all witchcraft. Since the Swedish trials take place quite some time after those in Malmö, the passage of time is the main explanation for the different approaches. The two neighboring countries are, after all, more similar than not. Other differences, such as the appeals procedure only present in Sweden, can also be explained by the passage of time, since another change was the increased sophistication of legal systems.}},
author = {{Edsjö, Alexander}},
language = {{swe}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Ihjälbrända på Kirseberg - Häxprocesser i Malmö under 1500-talet jämfört med senare svenska}},
year = {{2016}},
}