Cuckoldry, Impotence and Adultery in Europe (15th-17th century), edited by Sara F. Matthews-Grieco, Farnham, Surrey - Burlington, VT, Ashgate, pp. 85-101, 2014
Impotence, Witchcraft, and Politics: A Renaissance Case
The belief that sexual impotence cou... more Impotence, Witchcraft, and Politics: A Renaissance Case
The belief that sexual impotence could be provoked by sorcery was fully acknowledged by canon law, which in such cases admitted the annulment of a unconsummated marriage. As of the mid-15th century, the fear that human sexuality was under attack from witches seems to increase, reaching its apex in the Malleus maleficarum (1486). In those same years, bewitchment of the “vis coeundi” was believed to cause the failure of dynastic unions, such as the (temporary) fiasco of Gian Galeazzo Maria Sforza with Isabella of Aragon (1489). But such diagnoses were not accepted unanimously, as several authoritative voices rose to explain impotence in naturalistic terms. This paper shows how the interpretation of impotence as result of witchcraft could fulfill varying functions at different social levels, focusing on the debate between traditionalists, such as witch-hunter Heinrich Kramer, and skeptics, such as the jurist Ambrogio Vignati.
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themselves. Finally, it argues that these works were produced most rapidly in the early 1500s, coinciding with the high point of the witch-hunts in Italy and of the debate that this provoked, while the genre later became outmoded, and was quickly abandoned in the second half of the sixteenth century as the Roman Inquisition adopted a newer, more cautious and moderately sceptical approach to the prosecution of witchcraft.
This paper focuses on one hitherto unknown document from the archive of the Inquisition of Modena. In 1518 the noted demonologist Bartolomeo Spina (c. 1475-1546), then at the head of the local tribunal, received testimonies concerning one, very unusual male witch. A man from a nearby village was known for falling into a trance-like state closely resembling death, and was apparently also seen turning into a wolf and attacking a flock of wethers. Skeptical about the reliability of such reports, Spina decided not to investigate further, and thus the dossier did not develop into a full-blown trial. Even in its interrupted state, however, this case stands out as a very rare indication of the existence of local traditions on werewolves, and as an even rarer, tantalizing suggestion of the possible association between ecstasies and shapeshifting. The paper aims first to explore the meaning of such beliefs in the Modenese and northern Italian context of the time by connecting them with the characteristics of the “ride”, or “game” – two local names for the witches’ Sabbath. It then seeks to determine whether this case can really contribute valuable new evidence for the analysis of the myth of the wolf-man and of its implications, such as its supposed shamanistic core.
The belief that sexual impotence could be provoked by sorcery was fully acknowledged by canon law, which in such cases admitted the annulment of a unconsummated marriage. As of the mid-15th century, the fear that human sexuality was under attack from witches seems to increase, reaching its apex in the Malleus maleficarum (1486). In those same years, bewitchment of the “vis coeundi” was believed to cause the failure of dynastic unions, such as the (temporary) fiasco of Gian Galeazzo Maria Sforza with Isabella of Aragon (1489). But such diagnoses were not accepted unanimously, as several authoritative voices rose to explain impotence in naturalistic terms. This paper shows how the interpretation of impotence as result of witchcraft could fulfill varying functions at different social levels, focusing on the debate between traditionalists, such as witch-hunter Heinrich Kramer, and skeptics, such as the jurist Ambrogio Vignati.
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This international conference, organized by Matteo Duni (Syracuse University Florence), Matteo Al Kalak (Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia) and Renata Bertoli (Centro internazionale di cultura Giovanni Pico della Mirandola), seeks to address both the unique character of the witch-hunt at Mirandola (1522-23), and the peculiar role of the local lord, Giovan Francesco Pico, in it. While witch-hunting in Italy was mostly confined to the Alpine regions, this particular mass persecution was the only one to take place south of the Po river, and was fully endorsed by Pico. He, besides supporting the local inquisitor, wrote a learned dialogue, Strix, arguing for the necessity to exterminate the witches. His text was eventually translated into Italian (1524), the first book to be published on witchcraft in the vernacular. For more information and remote participation please write to lorenzo.ferrari@unimore.it
Questo convegno è promosso nell'ambito dei progetti FAR "Le origini dell'Inquisizione romana" e PRIN "Digital Inquisition".
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themselves. Finally, it argues that these works were produced most rapidly in the early 1500s, coinciding with the high point of the witch-hunts in Italy and of the debate that this provoked, while the genre later became outmoded, and was quickly abandoned in the second half of the sixteenth century as the Roman Inquisition adopted a newer, more cautious and moderately sceptical approach to the prosecution of witchcraft.
This paper focuses on one hitherto unknown document from the archive of the Inquisition of Modena. In 1518 the noted demonologist Bartolomeo Spina (c. 1475-1546), then at the head of the local tribunal, received testimonies concerning one, very unusual male witch. A man from a nearby village was known for falling into a trance-like state closely resembling death, and was apparently also seen turning into a wolf and attacking a flock of wethers. Skeptical about the reliability of such reports, Spina decided not to investigate further, and thus the dossier did not develop into a full-blown trial. Even in its interrupted state, however, this case stands out as a very rare indication of the existence of local traditions on werewolves, and as an even rarer, tantalizing suggestion of the possible association between ecstasies and shapeshifting. The paper aims first to explore the meaning of such beliefs in the Modenese and northern Italian context of the time by connecting them with the characteristics of the “ride”, or “game” – two local names for the witches’ Sabbath. It then seeks to determine whether this case can really contribute valuable new evidence for the analysis of the myth of the wolf-man and of its implications, such as its supposed shamanistic core.
The belief that sexual impotence could be provoked by sorcery was fully acknowledged by canon law, which in such cases admitted the annulment of a unconsummated marriage. As of the mid-15th century, the fear that human sexuality was under attack from witches seems to increase, reaching its apex in the Malleus maleficarum (1486). In those same years, bewitchment of the “vis coeundi” was believed to cause the failure of dynastic unions, such as the (temporary) fiasco of Gian Galeazzo Maria Sforza with Isabella of Aragon (1489). But such diagnoses were not accepted unanimously, as several authoritative voices rose to explain impotence in naturalistic terms. This paper shows how the interpretation of impotence as result of witchcraft could fulfill varying functions at different social levels, focusing on the debate between traditionalists, such as witch-hunter Heinrich Kramer, and skeptics, such as the jurist Ambrogio Vignati.
This international conference, organized by Matteo Duni (Syracuse University Florence), Matteo Al Kalak (Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia) and Renata Bertoli (Centro internazionale di cultura Giovanni Pico della Mirandola), seeks to address both the unique character of the witch-hunt at Mirandola (1522-23), and the peculiar role of the local lord, Giovan Francesco Pico, in it. While witch-hunting in Italy was mostly confined to the Alpine regions, this particular mass persecution was the only one to take place south of the Po river, and was fully endorsed by Pico. He, besides supporting the local inquisitor, wrote a learned dialogue, Strix, arguing for the necessity to exterminate the witches. His text was eventually translated into Italian (1524), the first book to be published on witchcraft in the vernacular. For more information and remote participation please write to lorenzo.ferrari@unimore.it
Questo convegno è promosso nell'ambito dei progetti FAR "Le origini dell'Inquisizione romana" e PRIN "Digital Inquisition".