Perrissona Gappit (also Perrussone) was tried for

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

in 1465 in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

Background

Witch trials were still uncommon in the 15th century when the concept of

diabolical witchcraft Diabolical may refer to: * Evil, the profound immorality, especially when regarded as a supernatural force, for example in religious belief * The Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and re ...

began to emerge. The study of four chronicles concerning events in

Valais Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...

, the

Bernese Alps , topo_map= Swiss Federal Office of Topography swisstopo , photo=BerneseAlps.jpg , photo_caption=The Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau , country= Switzerland , subdivision1_type=Cantons , subdivision1= , parent= Western Alps , borders_on= , l ...

and the nearby region of

Dauphiné The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois. In the 12th centu ...

has supported the scholarly proposal that some ideas concerning witchcraft were taking hold in the region around the 1430s recasting witchcraft as an alliance with the devil that would undermine and threaten the Christian foundation of society.

Studies of the case

The case was first studied in 1909. It has been the subject of several scholarly writings that have considered different aspects of the trial. One study from 1976 noted the charges changed mid-trial from sorcery to

. Another study published in 1989 explored details about the backgrounds of the accused. Scholars have also examined the unstable political situation in Châtel in the 1460s in connection with the case.

Trial and execution

The case, tried in the area of modern-day

Fribourg, Switzerland , neighboring_municipalities= Düdingen, Givisiez, Granges-Paccot, Marly, Pierrafortscha, Sankt Ursen, Tafers, Villars-sur-Glâne , twintowns = Rueil-Malmaison (France) , website = www.ville-fribourg.ch , Location of , Location of () () ...

, is noted for the thoroughness of the surviving record. The records include pre-trial depositions, include Perissone's own deposition, and several witnesses. Trials for witchcraft in what Kieckhefer calls the "popular tradition" were limited to accusations of sorcery but consorting with the

Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...

was not a factor in the standard accusations of cursing animals and causing bad weather. Perrissona was accused by two witnesses of trying to kidnap an infant, causing the death of the infant by malicious magic and preparing food that made others ill. She denied the allegations until the inquisitorial vicar became involved. The inquisitor was specifically interested in the diabolical element of the crimes. According to Kieckhefer, the role of the Devil in these types of allegations began with "the learned tradition of the judges". Under the new questioning, Perrissona eventually confessed to meeting with the Devil and eating the flesh of an infant at a diabolical assembly, even while the testifying witness has made no such allegation. Some of the confessions were extracted under

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

. After the trial Perrissona was sentenced to death and burned in public.

References

Witch trials in Switzerland {{Switzerland-hist-stub