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The Cold Water Ordeal (Swimming) in Witchcraft Accusations and Trials in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the Sixteenth-Eighteenth Century

100%

Wijaczka J.

Odrodzenie i Reformacja w Polsce

2016

vol. 60

One of the medieval trials by ordeal, the cold water ordeal, regained popularity in the Early Modern Period and served as an important element in witchcraft trials. Floating on water was seen as a decisive proof of guilt and resulted in the accused being handed over to the torturer. This paper discusses the use of the water ordeal in Poland in the sixteenth–eighteenth century, primarily by municipal courts. Among the issues mentioned in the paper there is also the question of the stage of the trial in which the water ordeal was used and whether the accused were undressed before being subjected to the ordeal.

Próba zimnej wody (pławienie) w oskarżeniach i procesach o czary w państwie polsko-litewskim w XVI–XVIII wieku

72%

Wijaczka J.

Odrodzenie i Reformacja w Polsce

2016

vol. 60

This paper focuses on recapitulating the current state of knowledge on the use of cold water ordeal in witchcraft trials in the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the Early Modern Period. The ordeal, despite being banned by the Catholic Church in 1215, was still in use, which is confirmed by the trials carried out in Lithuania at the turn of the 16th century. It can therefore be concluded that in the 16th century, the cold water ordeal in witchcraft trials started to be used in the territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth much earlier than in Western European countries. Nonetheless, there was no single policy defining at which stage of the trial the ordeal should be applied. In consequence, it was carried out either before the official start of the trial or during the proceedings. There were also many regional differences. While the cold water ordeal was used relatively often in Greater Poland and Royal Prussia, the case files known to today’s researchers seem to prove that the situation was rather different in Lesser Poland. While the belief spread by Bohdan Baranowski pointed to women being subjected to the ordeal while fully clothed, information found in source materials and old prints unequivocally shows that the accused were stripped naked before the ordeal.

Jeden ze średniowiecznych sądów Bożych, próba zimnej wody, tzw. pławienie, przeżywała swój renesans w czasach wczesnonowożytnych, jako istotny element procesu o czary. Utrzymywanie się oskarżonej osoby na powierzchni wody było decydującą przesłanką oddania jej w ręce kata na okrutne tortury. Niniejszy artykuł omawia stosowanie próby wody w Polsce w XVI–XVIII w., przede wszystkim przez sądy miejskie. Omówione została także m.in. kwestie, w którym momencie procesu stosowano próbę wody oraz czy osoby oskarżone rozbierano do naga przed jej rozpoczęciem.One of the medieval trials by ordeal, the cold water ordeal, regained popularity in the Early Modern Period and served as an important element in witchcraft trials. Floating on water was seen as a decisive proof of guilt and resulted in the accused being handed over to the torturer. This paper discusses the use of the water ordeal in Poland in the 16th–18th century, primarily by municipal courts. Among the issues mentioned in the paper there is also the question of the stage of the trial in which the water ordeal was used and whether the accused were undressed before being subjected to the ordeal.

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2 Odrodzenie i Reformacja w Polsce

2 2016

2 Wijaczka J.

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The Cold Water Ordeal (Swimming) in Witchcraft Accusations and Trials in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the Sixteenth-Eighteenth Century

Próba zimnej wody (pławienie) w oskarżeniach i procesach o czary w państwie polsko-litewskim w XVI–XVIII wieku