OUTCASTS OR SCAPEGOATS? A PORTRAIT OF THE VICTIMS OF WITCHCRAFT TRIALS IN EARLY MODERN TRANSYLVANIA

Based on fifteen court records from the national Archives of Sibiu and Braşov, dating to 1692-1785, this paper will examine the main characteristics of the individuals that had been involved in witchcraft trials in early modern Transylvania (seventeenth and eighteenth centuries). Furthermore, this study will try to investigate the social mechanisms that encouraged the community to start seeking a scapegoat in order to provide an explanation for misfortunes that occured in everyday life. Taking into consideration the fact that regional historiography showed little interest in the social dimension of witchcraft accusations, the present study will attempt to explore the social context for the trials, while contending with the well-known stereotypes about witches.