Overview

In 1636, residents at the convent of Santa Chiara in Carpi in northern Italy were struck by an extraordinary illness that provoked bizarre behavior. Eventually numbering fourteen, the afflicted nuns were subject to screaming fits,throwing themselves on the floor, and falling abruptly into a deep sleep. When medical experts' cures proved ineffective, exorcists ministered to the women and concluded that they were possessed by demons and the victims of witchcraft. Catering to women from elite families, the nunnery suffered much turmoil for three years and, remarkably, three of the victims died from their ills. A maverick nun and a former confessor were widely suspected to be responsible, through witchcraft, for these woes. Based primarily on the exhaustive investigation by the Inquisition of Modena, The Scourge of Demons examines this fascinating case in its historical context. The travails of Santa Chiara occurred at a time when Europe witnessed peaks in both witch-hunting and in the numbers of people reputedly possessed by demons. Female religious figures appeared particularly prone to demonic attacks, and Counter-Reformation Church authorities were especially interested in imposing stricter discipline on convents. Watt carefully considers how the nuns of Santa Chiara understood and experienced alleged possession and witchcraft, concluding that Santa Chiara's diabolical troubles and their denouement -- involving the actions of nuns, confessors, inquisitorial authorities, and exorcists -- were profoundly shaped by the unique confluence of religious, cultural, judicial, andintellectual trends that flourished in the 1630s. Jeffrey R. Watt is professor of history at the University of Mississippi.

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9781580462983

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Reviews

A solid microhistorical study, persuasively arguing that possession and witchcraft were cultural phenomena . [.] The book is a welcome contribution that enhances our knowledge of the less-studied territory of the seventeenth-century activities of the Modenese Inquisition. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY, December 2010 Thoroughly examines a compelling case of possession and witchcraft in a wealthy convent in Carpi in the 1630s. [.] The story unfolds gradually with a narrative style, and historiographical debates are smoothly brought into the account. HISTORIANS OF WOMEN RELIGIOUS OF BRITAIN & IRELAND, December 2010 Absorbing, illuminating and scholarly. [.] Watt's gift for historical narrative is remarkable. [.] This book is a major contribution to historical understanding of post-Tridentine religious life. It has shifted our perspective and broadened our understanding of female convent life. This book is an exemplar of broad and deep research and careful analysis of the sources. It is a brilliant example of historical narrative. It should be read and admired by scholars, assigned to students and enjoyed by readers interested in early modern European religious and gender studies. JOURNAL OF CHURCH HISTORY, June 2010 This adept study. has succeeded in finally placing the nuns' experiences in their full context. Watt has provided an expert and comprehensive study of one important case, presented as a laudably compelling read. JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, April 2010 Whereas the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century records of the Inquisition of Modena have attracted considerable attention, the extensive documentation pertaining to the seventeenth century remains largely unexplored. Watt's analysis of these later records is therefore a timely addition to the burgeoning field of Inquisition studies. RENAISSANCE QUARTERLY [Tamar Herzig] Stimulating and sound [.] a welcome addition to the ever-growing list of studies on the social and religious history of early modern Europe. Recommended. CHOICE, February 2010 An impressive and even exemplary job of archival scholarship that will be of interest to scholars of witchcraft and possession, and of Inquisitorial processes. SIXTEENTH CENTURY JOURNAL, XLI, no. 4, 2010

For almost two years in the 1630s, the convent of Santa Chiara was turned upside down by the strange illnesses of several nuns, universally attributed to demonic possession brought about by witchcraft. In The Scourge of Demons, Jeffrey Watt reconstructs this fascinating episode in cogent detail. Fully in command of scholarship on female monasticism, witchcraft, possession, the Inquisition, and feminist interpretations, Watt offers a lucid cultural history that will inform and enthrall a wide range of readers. -- Anne Jacobson Schutte, professor emerita of History, University of Virginia

A solid microhistorical study, persuasively arguing that possession and witchcraft were cultural phenomena . (.) The book is a welcome contribution that enhances our knowledge of the less-studied territory of the seventeenth-century activities of the Modenese Inquisition. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY, December 2010 Thoroughly examines a compelling case of possession and witchcraft in a wealthy convent in Carpi in the 1630s. (.) The story unfolds gradually with a narrative style, and historiographical debates are smoothly brought into the account. HISTORIANS OF WOMEN RELIGIOUS OF BRITAIN & IRELAND, December 2010 Absorbing, illuminating and scholarly. (.) Watt's gift for historical narrative is remarkable. (.) This book is a major contribution to historical understanding of post-Tridentine religious life. It has shifted our perspective and broadened our understanding of female convent life. This book is an exemplar of broad and deep research and careful analysis of the sources. It is a brilliant example of historical narrative. It should be read and admired by scholars, assigned to students and enjoyed by readers interested in early modern European religious and gender studies. JOURNAL OF CHURCH HISTORY, June 2010 This adept study. has succeeded in finally placing the nuns' experiences in their full context. Watt has provided an expert and comprehensive study of one important case, presented as a laudably compelling read. JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, April 2010 Whereas the fifteenth- and sixteenth-century records of the Inquisition of Modena have attracted considerable attention, the extensive documentation pertaining to the seventeenth century remains largely unexplored. Watt's analysis of these later records is therefore a timely addition to the burgeoning field of Inquisition studies. RENAISSANCE QUARTERLY (Tamar Herzig) Stimulating and sound (.) a welcome addition to the ever-growing list of studies on the social and religious history of early modern Europe. Recommended. CHOICE, February 2010 An impressive and even exemplary job of archival scholarship that will be of interest to scholars of witchcraft and possession, and of Inquisitorial processes. SIXTEENTH CENTURY JOURNAL, XLI, no. 4, 2010

Author Information

JEFFREY R. WATT is the Kelly Gene Cook Sr. Professor of History at the University of Mississippi.

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