Witches in Europe

Witchcraft "flourished"during the 16th and 17th centuries as religious belief was reformed. From The Netherlands, to the UK, to America men and women were accused of witchcraft because they held a minority belief. People were executed based on silly tests that anyone would fail. For example, a woman might have her hands and feet tied together, and then her body flung into water. If she floated she was a witch, but if she sank she was innocent. It's no surprise, but I think the witch trials of England are the most interesting, as they epitomized European ideologies, and influenced North America. 

It seems that globally witch trials soared in the mid 18th century, but that accusations of heresy began as far back as the 14th century. 

Sites:

http://www.historic-uk.com/cultureuk/witches.htm

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/search.aspx?query1=witchcraft

http://home.uchicago.edu/~eoster/witchec.pdf