Witches: Truth Behind the Trials

©National Geographic
Witches: Truth Behind the Trials

Synopsis

Why were thousands of people, mostly women, executed for an impossible crime? Six terrifying true stories from Europe and America uncover the truth.

Episodes

Season 1
  • Germany: The Witch Hunts Begin

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    Why are witches mainly women and why were they hunted and tried for an impossible crime? The story of Europe’s early witch trials in Trier.

  • Germany: The Witch Hunts Begin

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  • Scotland: The King and the Witches

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    The story of the first major witch trials in Scotland and new expert analysis of King James VI of Scotland’s obsession with witchcraft.

  • England: The Witchfinders' Cruel Crusade

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    Two self-appointed witch-hunters investigate and torture so-called witches in exchange for money during the turmoil of England’s Civil War.

  • Sweden: The Legend of Blåkulla

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    An event in Sweden in the 17th Century creates a hysteria driven by terrified parents convinced witches are abducting their children.

  • America: Salem's Hunts and Hysteria

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    Cinematic reconstructions, new analysis and expert interviews shed fresh light on the most famous witch trials of them all in Salem, Massachusetts.

  • Ireland: Possessed By the Devil

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    Cinematic reconstruction, analysis and expert interviews tell the story of demonic possession, witch trials, and punishment 18th century Ireland.