The Trial of Tempel Anneke. Literature & Language Essay (Essay Sample)

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The Trial of Tempel Anneke
Medieval Europe was synonymous with cruelty and inhumane and primitive behaviors. One such act was the lynching of witches and wizards. The Trial of Tempel Anneke is a book that details the cruelty faced by witches at the time. Anna Roleffes, alias Tempel Anneke, was arrested, charged with practicing witchcraft, and consequently executed on December 1663. Her long and most involving trial involved several witnesses from villages and towns. Anna Roleffes fitted the profile of those accused of practicing witchcraft. She was a dependent female, poor, and widowed. Her complex and controversial life emerges from witnesses’ accounts during her trial. Specifically, Tempel Anneke was literate, outspoken, intelligent, and aware of her right. Moreover, she had medical knowledge that she acquired from her mother. Tempel Anneke's case lack evidence to indicate that her trial was part of the mass witch hunt that was rampant at the time, but it offers an insight into the workings of the 17th century law and justice.
17th century Europe was characterized by sorcery and witchcraft. The assertion comes from the fact that there were over a dozen cases reported daily from England and Germany. The witches were generally associated with evil; as such, people linked magical powers and any other form of supernatural acts directly to Satan.