Salem's Spectral Evidence | How Witch Trials Corrupted Legal Systems (1692-1847)

From Salem, Massachusetts to Scotland and England, witch trials transformed courtrooms into instruments of systematic prosecution. Part 1 explores how the pursuit of witches corrupted entire legal systems, abandoning every principle of justice to hunt invisible enemies.Witness how spectral evidence made defense impossible—accusers claimed spirits attacked them while the accused's body was miles away. Discover the Malleus Maleficarum's witch-hunting manual that created papal-sanctioned traveling courts, King James VI's personal participation in interrogations, and Richard III's theatrical use of witchcraft accusations for political murder.Through 1847 London Journal accounts, explore gendered prosecution (women comprised 80-90% of victims), shape-shifting accusations, and how these techniques persisted into Victorian Britain when fishermen still sought protection from suspected witches.Part 1 of 2 examining how witch-hunting transformed European and American legal systems.Content Advisory: Contains historical accounts of systematic violence and execution, particularly against women.