This is a list of people executed for witchcraft, many of whom were executed during organised witch-hunt

Witch-hunt

A witch-hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials...

s, particularly from the 15th–18th centuries CE. Large numbers of people were prosecuted for witchcraft in Europe between 1560 and 1630. Until around 1420, witchcraft-related prosecutions in Europe centred around maleficium

Maleficium (sorcery)

Maleficium is a Latin term meaning "wrongdoing" or "mischief" and is used to describe malevolent, dangerous, or harmful magic, "evildoing" or "malevolent sorcery"...

, the concept of using supernatural powers specifically to harm others. Cases came about from accusations of the use of ritual magic to damage rivals. Up until the early 15th century, there was little association of witchcraft with Satan

Satan

Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...

. From that time organised witch-hunts increased, as did individual accusations of sorcery. The nature of the charges brought changed as more cases were linked to diabolism. Throughout the century, a number of treatises were published that helped to establish a stereotype of the witch, particularly the Satanic connection. During the 16th century, witchcraft prosecutions stabilised and even declined in some areas. Witch-hunts increased again in the 17th century. The witch trials in Early Modern Europe

Witch trials in Early Modern Europe

The Witch trials in the Early Modern period were a period of witch hunts between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries, when across Early Modern Europe, and to some extent in the European colonies in North America, there was a widespread hysteria that malevolent Satanic witches were operating as...

 included the Basque witch trials

Basque witch trials

The Basque witch trials of the 17th century represent the most ambitious attempt at rooting out witchcraft ever undertaken by the Spanish Inquisition...

 in Spain, the Fulda witch trials

Fulda witch trials

The Witch trials of Fulda in Germany in the years from 1603 to 1606 was one of the biggest witch trials in Europe together with the Trier witch trials 1587-1593 and Quedlinburg in 1589...

 in Germany, the North Berwick witch trials

North Berwick witch trials

The North Berwick witch trials were the trials in 1590 of a number of people from East Lothian, Scotland, accused of witchcraft in the St Andrew's Auld Kirk in North Berwick. They ran for two years and implicated seventy people. The accused included Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell on charges...

 in Scotland and the Torsåker witch trials

Torsåker witch trials

The Torsåker witch trials took place in 1675 in Torsåker parish, Sweden. 71 people: 6 men and 65 women were beheaded and then burned, all in a single day...

 in Sweden.

Witch-hunts also took place during the 17th century in the American colonies. These were particularly common in the colonies of Massachusetts

Province of Massachusetts Bay

The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony in North America. It was chartered on October 7, 1691 by William and Mary, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of England and Scotland...

, Connecticut

Connecticut Colony

The Connecticut Colony or Colony of Connecticut was an English colony located in British America that became the U.S. state of Connecticut. Originally known as the River Colony, it was organized on March 3, 1636 as a haven for Puritan noblemen. After early struggles with the Dutch, the English...

 and New Haven

New Haven Colony

The New Haven Colony was an English colonial venture in present-day Connecticut in North America from 1637 to 1662.- Quinnipiac Colony :A Puritan minister named John Davenport led his flock from exile in the Netherlands back to England and finally to America in the spring of 1637...

. The myth of the witch had a strong cultural presence in 17th century New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

 and, as in Europe, witchcraft was strongly associated with devil-worship. About eighty people were accused of practising witchcraft in a witch-hunt that lasted throughout New England from 1648-1663. Thirteen women and two men were executed. The Salem witch trials

Salem witch trials

The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693...

 followed in 1692–3, culminating in the executions of 19 people.

Tens of thousands of people were executed for witchcraft in Europe and the American colonies. Although it is not possible to ascertain the exact number, modern scholars estimate around 40–50,000. Common methods of execution for convicted witches were hanging

Hanging

Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...

, drowning

Drowning

Drowning is death from asphyxia due to suffocation caused by water entering the lungs and preventing the absorption of oxygen leading to cerebral hypoxia....

 and burning. Burning was often favoured, particularly in Europe, as it was considered a more painful way to die. Prosecutors in the American colonies generally preferred hanging in cases of witchcraft.

List and images of those executed for witchcraft

Name	Lifetime	Nationality	Notes
		German	Executed after claiming to be a prophet.
		Dutch	Burned to death for sorcery.
		French	Found guilty of sexual relations with the devil and burned to death.
		British American colonist	at Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is bordered by the towns of Bridgeport, Trumbull, Easton, Redding and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 59,404...
		English	Convicted of fraud and murder, and alleged to be a witch; hanged to death.
		German	Convicted of witchcraft and thrown in the Danube Danube The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....  to drown, following accusations by her father-in-law Ernest, Duke of Bavaria Ernest, Duke of Bavaria Ernest of Bavaria-Munich , , from 1397 Duke of Bavaria-Munich.-Biography:Ernest was a son of John II and ruled the duchy of Bavaria-Munich together with his brother William III.... .
		German	Convicted as part of the Fulda witch trials Fulda witch trials The Witch trials of Fulda in Germany in the years from 1603 to 1606 was one of the biggest witch trials in Europe together with the Trier witch trials 1587-1593 and Quedlinburg in 1589...  and burned to death.
		Swedish	The first woman executed for witchcraft in Sweden; beheaded.
		English (emigrated to British America British America For American people of British descent, see British American.British America is the anachronistic term used to refer to the territories under the control of the Crown or Parliament in present day North America , Central America, the Caribbean, and Guyana... )	The first person to be tried and executed during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		Italian	A widow and beggar who sold to her neighbours potions and spells intended to kill people. Accused of sorcery and hanged to death.
		Pomerania Pomerania Pomerania is a historical region on the south shore of the Baltic Sea. Divided between Germany and Poland, it stretches roughly from the Recknitz River near Stralsund in the West, via the Oder River delta near Szczecin, to the mouth of the Vistula River near Gdańsk in the East... n	Confessed to murder and witchcraft under torture; beheaded and burned.
		British American colonist	Congregational pastor, executed as part of the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		British/American	Hanged during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... , her children confessed she was a witch.
		French	Burned to death.
		Swiss	Confessed under torture to summoning demons and was the last person executed for socrcery in Geneva Geneva Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland... .
		Belgian	Confessed to being a witch; was strangled and burned to death.
		English	The first woman persecuted by the Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins Matthew Hopkins Matthew Hopkins was an English witchhunter whose career flourished during the time of the English Civil War. He claimed to hold the office of Witchfinder General, although that title was never bestowed by Parliament... ; hanged to death.
		English (emigrated to British America)	Crushed to death for refusing to plea during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		English (emigrated to British America)	Hanged to death during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		German	One of the last people to be executed for witchcraft in Germany.
		Belgian	Roman Catholic monk; beheaded.
		French	aka La Voisin. Burned to death following the Affair of the Poisons.
		English	Nobleman and explorer accused by Sir Francis Drake Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...  of witchcraft, mutiny and treason. Executed by beheading.
		English (emigrated to British America)	Hanged during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693...
		Swedish	The last person to be executed for sorcery in Sweden.
		Italian	Confessed to having flown on the back of a demon; burned to death.
		British	Executed in Bermuda Bermuda Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida... .
		French	Serial child murderer; convicted of witchcraft and lycanthropy Lycanthropy Lycanthropy is the professed ability or power of a human being to undergo transformation into a werewolf, or to gain wolf-like characteristics. The term comes from Greek Lykànthropos : λύκος, lykos + άνθρωπος, ànthrōpos... , and burned to death.
		Scottish	Accused of witchcraft by King James V James V of Scotland James V was King of Scots from 9 September 1513 until his death, which followed the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Solway Moss... ; burned to death.
		Irish (emigrated to British America)	Last person to be hanged for witchcraft in Boston Boston Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had... .
		French	Burned to death; one of the last women to be executed for witchcraft in France.
		Swiss	Beheaded; "the last witch in Switzerland.
		British American colonist	One of the first to be convicted in the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		French	Convicted following the Loudun possessions Loudun Possessions The Loudun possessions were a group of supposed demonic possessions which took place in Loudun, France, in 1634. This case involved the Ursuline nuns of Loudun who were allegedly visited and possessed by demons: Father Urbain Grandier was convicted of the crimes of sorcery, evil spells, and the...  and burned to death.
		British American colonist	at Hartford, Connecticut Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
		British American colonist	at Hartford, Connecticut Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
		French	Priest who confessed to having made a pact with the devil.
		Dutch	Confessed under torture and was burned to death.
		Austrian	Midwife who confessed to child murder, witchcraft and vampirism Vampire Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person... ; burned to death.
		German	Postmaster; burned to death.
		French	Burned to death.
		British American colonist	The fourth person executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts Bay Colony Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions... , hanged on Boston Common Boston Common Boston Common is a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Boston Commons". Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States. The Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street,...
		Scottish	Last British person to be executed for sorcery; burned to death.
		Swedish	Beheaded after her second trial for witchcraft.
		Brtish (emigrated to British America)	Hanged during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		British American colonist	Hanged during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		British American colonist	executed at Hartford, Connecticut Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
		British American colonist	The first person to be executed for witchcraft in Massachusetts Bay Colony Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions... , hanged
		Swedish	Beheaded.
		German	Tortured and then burned to death during the Bamberg witch trials Bamberg witch trials The Bamberg witch trials, which took place in Bamberg in Germany in 1626-1631, are among the more famous cases in European witchcraft history. They resulted in the executions of between 300 and 600 people, and were some of the greatest witch trials in history, as well as some of the greatest... .
		English	Confessed to witchcraft and was hanged.
		British American colonist	of Cambridge, MA
		British American colonist	at Hartford, Connecticut Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
		Danish	Burned to death.
		Greenlandic	Burned to death.
		Danish	Noblewoman who confessed to cursing the marital bed of a rival; beheaded.
		British American colonist	Wife of Henry Lake, from Dorchester, Ma
		Native American	Native American leader who was sentenced to death for witchcraft and executed with a tomahawk Tomahawk (axe) A tomahawk is a type of axe native to North America, traditionally resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft. The name came into the English language in the 17th century as a transliteration of the Powhatan word.Tomahawks were general purpose tools used by Native Americans and European Colonials... .
		English (emigrated to British America)	Executed during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		Swedish	Burned to death.
		Irish	Burned to death.
		English (emigrated to British America)	Hanged during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693...
		Norwegian	Cunning woman Cunning folk The cunning folk in Britain were professional or semi-professional practitioners of magic active from the Medieval period through to the early twentieth century. As cunning folk, they practised folk magic – also known as "low magic" – although often combined with elements of "high" or ceremonial...  accused of making people sick to earn money, burned to death.
		Scottish	Also known as the Bargarran witches, the last mass execution for witchcraft in western Europe.
		Danish	The last person to be officially executed for witchcraft in Denmark; beheaded.
		German	Tortured and burned to death.
		British American colonist	Hanged during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		British American colonist	Hanged during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		Austrian	The last person to be executed for witchcraft in Austria; beheaded.
		Norwegian	Burned to death.
		English
		Austrian	The only person to be executed for witchcraft Vienna Vienna Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre... ; burned to death.
		Italian	Burned to death.
		British American colonist	Hanged during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		British American colonist	Hanged during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		Finnish	Cunning woman Cunning folk The cunning folk in Britain were professional or semi-professional practitioners of magic active from the Medieval period through to the early twentieth century. As cunning folk, they practised folk magic – also known as "low magic" – although often combined with elements of "high" or ceremonial... , burned to death.
		British American colonist	Hanged during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		Swiss	Strangled and burned to death.
		Icelandic	Burned to death.
		German	One of the last to be executed for witchcraft in Germany.
		Scottish	Midwife, garrotted and burned to death during the North Berwick witch trials North Berwick witch trials The North Berwick witch trials were the trials in 1590 of a number of people from East Lothian, Scotland, accused of witchcraft in the St Andrew's Auld Kirk in North Berwick. They ran for two years and implicated seventy people. The accused included Francis Stewart, 5th Earl of Bothwell on charges... .
		Swiss	Burned to death.
		Danish	Burned to death.
		Danish	Burned to death.
		Swiss	Confessed under torture to summoning demons; burned to death.
		English	The first woman executed for witchcraft in England; hanged.
		Scottish	Strangled and burned to death.
		English (emigrated to British America)	Hanged during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		British American colonist	Hanged during the Salem witch trials Salem witch trials The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings before county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Middlesex in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693... .
		English	A mother and two daughters, the daughters were hanged.
		English	Alice Samuel and her family, hanged.
		British American colonist	The first person recorded to have been executed for witchcraft in the American colonies, hanged.
		Polish	Burned to death.
		Swedish	Beheaded.
		Swedish	Beheaded.