How many Witches were actually burned at the stake or otherwise killed by the Inquisition?
Nobody knows for sure, as documentation is often incomplete or missing. Estimates run from as low as 20,000 victims, up to hundreds of thousands, for the period between 1450 and 1700. Many Italian cities where inquisitors were active have missing records, or no records at all. In France, entire archives were burned at the beginning of the 18th century. Savoyard officials hung the trial transcript around the neck of the person being burned at the stake. The records of the papal Inquisition were carried off by Napoleon. Some later showed up in Dublin, but there’s no way of telling what might be missing. Also, trial records make it difficult distinguish between actual Witches (who practiced pagan arts) and Christians accused of “witchcraft” (which the witch-hunters defined as devil-worship and harmful magic). Torture forced both groups to repeat the same false stories of sex with devils, harmful sorcery and baby-killing. In addition to those burned, accused witches in various times and pl
