Duchy of Westphalia, subject to
Prince-Elector Ferdinand,
Archbishop of Cologne (reigned
1612-50)
Around 2000 people were
burned for witchcraft
between 1626-1634
Ferdinand had been educated
in Trier during the witch-hunt
of the 1590s
First 15 years of his rule there
were few witchcraft
prosecutions
Only after the persecution of witches had
gathered momentum at local level did Ferdinand
intervene, appointing witch-commissioners to
establish control over the situation
Commissioners soon got out
of control, implementing
their own policies and
terrorising whole regions
Social and Economic
Series of devastating crop failures
led to the Cologne witch-hunts