Title: Religion and the Decline of Magic
Subtitle: Studies in Popular Beliefs in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century England
First published: 1971
Description: Witchcraft, astrology, divination and every kind of popular magic flourished in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, from the belief that a blessed amulet could prevent the assaults of the Devil to the use of the same charms to recover stolen goods. At the same time the Protestant Reformation attempted to take the magic out of religion, and scientists were developing new explanations of the universe. Keith Thomas's classic analysis of beliefs held on every level of English society begins with the collapse of the medieval Church and ends with the changing intellectual atmosphere around 1700, when science and rationalism began to challenge the older systems of belief.
Subjects: Occultism, Popular culture, Religious life and customs, Religion, History, Magic, History, 17th Century, Magie, Occultisme, History, 16th Century, Volksgeloof, Religion and sociology, Great britain, religion, Occultism, history, Great britain, history, tudors, 1485-1603, Great britain, social life and customs, Great britain, history, stuarts, 1603-1714, History of Medicine, 16th Cent, History of Medicine, 17th Cent
Places: England, Great Britain
Time periods: 17th century, 16th century