Medieval Conspiracy Theories: The History of the Most Popular Conspiracy Theories about the Middle Ages

Few eras are easier to let the imagination run wild than the Middle Ages, which have often been coined the Dark Ages based on a perceived lack of progress and information.[1] Indeed, we can say that it is not completely unfounded because we know less about that historical period compared to those that come after it. In addition, it is a period marked by a great number of deaths caused by plague epidemics, crusades, and inquisitorial persecutions. Often, researchers are not even sure how and why certain events happened, and these mysteries still occupy the attention of historians.

This era was very harsh, difficult, and often gloomy. In that greyness, burdened by various fears, people were looking for something that would light up their lives and bring them a feeling of beauty and joy. People experienced all things and events around them more intensely than people do today. They often exaggerated the events that happened, giving them a mystical and divine character. For this reason, medieval sources are taken with a grain of salt and are first carefully examined before believing.

At the same time, some historical mysteries about the era may never be solved, if only because the relevant excavated material has been lost or the archaeological site has been destroyed. In other cases, it is because new evidence is unlikely to emerge, or the surviving evidence is too vague to lead to a consensus. Of course, the lack of answers only makes these enigmas more intriguing. For example, the topic of witchcraft in Europe, once considered marginal and even frivolous, has become the subject of international debate among historians since the early 1970s. However, only a few of the many studies have paid attention to the sabbath - the nocturnal gathering of witches and sorceresses - even though the sabbath is clearly of crucial importance in the history of witchcraft and witch-hunting.

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Lydbog: 14. juli 2023