The Decriminalization of Magic and the Fight Against Superstition in Hungary and Transylvania, 1740–1848

Abstract

The paper discusses the period marking the end of the witch-hunt era in the Hungarian Kingdom. It describes the process of decriminalization by mapping power mechanisms, capturing the nature of judicial measures, and examining the criminal activities, social roles, and undesirable behavior of those indicted. Among the reasons why witch trials ended, it links the monarch’s Pietist approach and implementing the principle of caring for the subjects in criminal law with mercantilist philosophy and the acceleration of the process of medicalization in general. Yet, it argues, that there were multiple reasons and explanations for the continuation of legal proceedings against magical activities.