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In early modern Europe, memory of the past served as a main frame of moral, political, legal, religious, and social reference for people of all walks of life. This volume examines how Europeans practiced memory between 1500 and 1800, and how these three centuries saw a shift in how people engaged with the past.

Witchcraft in context: histories and historiographies -- The world of the witches: confessions and conflicts -- Witchcraft and gender: intimate servants and excluded masculinities -- Framing the witch: legal theories and realities -- Nullus Deus, sine diabolo: the ecclesiastical witch -- Beyond demonology: blame the witches -- Sceptical voices: ending the era -- Epilogue: comparisons and conclusions

"Print, in the early modern period, could make or break power. This volume addresses one of the most urgent and topical questions in early modern history: how did European authorities use a new medium with such tremendous potential? The eighteen contributors develop new perspectives on the relationship between the rise of print and the changing relationships between subjects and rulers by analysing print's role in early modern bureaucracy, the techniques of printed propaganda, genres, and strategies of state communication. While print is often still thought of as an emancipating and destabilizing force of change in early modern societies, the resulting picture shows how instrumental print was in strengthening existing power structures."--