Honest people and wicked people

Abstract

Court records clearly show how Danish trials for witchcraft perpetuated the legal practices of the Middle Ages, with the court (tingstedet) as a site for negotiation between two parties. Generally, a trial was instigated by prolonged enmity, which at some point culminated in yet another conflict. When the case came to court, the party with the stronger case won, and it was the judge and jury who, on the basis of testimonies given, reached this decision. The loser would be forced to pay the costs of the trial.