ontrol men had of women can be seen at least as an indirect result of the stereotypes placed on women by the belief in witches. According to the Church, women bore the blame of original sin, and therefore had to be kept in line by their male keepers. Both by law and by custom, women were no longer considered people, rather they were seen as property. Only a man could keep a woman in accordance with what is right and what is holy, for without that control and without female subservience, there was always the chance for evil, for the Devil, and for witchcraft. Although the witch hunts can hardly be seen as the reason for the subservient role of women in society which followed the fifteenth century, their impact is clear. The proactive role of the Church especially gave credence to the public’s suspicions and fears about the supernatural and about women practicing witchcraft. In a time when religion was the basis of life and the root of knowledge, one could not help but be swept up by even extreme beliefs, the residual effects of which can still be felt today....
