Magic as a Political Crime in Medieval and Early Modern England

Francis Young is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and gained a PhD in history from the University of Cambridge. He is the author and editor of seven previous books. These include English Catholics and the Supernatural, 1553-1829 (2013), The Gages of Hengrave and Suffolk Catholicism, 1640-1767 (2015), The Abbey of Bury St Edmunds: History, Legacy and Discovery (2016) and A History of Exorcism in Catholic Christianity (2016). He broadcasts regularly for the BBC on historical topics.

Young thus offers a well-documented, engagingly written, and persuasive survey of the links between magic and politics in this period, which extends our knowledge of both areas and will be welcomed by scholars in a range of fields ... [A] rich, interesting, and thought-provoking book.

• Introduction Histories of Magic as Political Crime Studying Magic as Political CrimeDefining Magic Magic and Witchcraft Magic and Treason Structure of the Book 1. ‘Compassing and Imagining’: Magic as a PoliticalCrime in Medieval England John of Nottingham and the Plot Against Edward II Magic and the Statute of Treason Application of the Statute of Treason The Case of Eleanor Cobham Magic in the Wars of the Roses The Reign of Henry VII Conclusion 2. Treason, Sorcery and Prophecy in The Early EnglishReformation, 1534 – 58 The Tudors and the English Reformation Prophecy and Treason Magic and Treason at Court The Reigns of Edward VI and Mary Conclusion 3. Elizabeth versus The ‘Popish Conjurers’, 1558 – 77 The Elizabethan Reformation The Accession of Elizabeth The Fortescue Conspiracy The 1559 Bill against Sorcery, Witchcraft and Buggery The Waldegrave and Pole Conspiracies The Burning of St Paul’s The 1563 Act Against Conjuration and Witchcraft The Abduction and Trial of John Story The Case of Rowland Jenks Conclusion 4. ‘A Traitorous Heart to the Queen’: Effigies andWitch-Hunts, 1578 – 1603 119Effigy Magic John Dee and the Wax Effigies Leicester’s Witch-Hunt Vincent Murphyn’s Conspiracy The 1580 Act for Suppressing Seditious Wordsand Rumours ‘Anabaptistical Wizards’ Elizabeth’s Last Years Magical Treason in Shakespeare’s Henry VI Part Two Conclusion 5. ‘A Breach in Nature’: Magic as a Political Crime inEarly Stuart England, 1603 – 42 James VI and Magical Treason James’s English Reign The Case of Sir Thomas Lake Magical Treason in the Plays of Shakespeare The Poisoning of James I Towards Civil War 6. The Decline of Magic as a Political Crime, 1642 – 1700Political Magic in the English Civil Wars Interregnum and Restoration: The Decline ofMagical Treason Witchcraft and Treason England and the ‘Affair of the Poisons’ vi Magic as a Political CrimeTreason without Magic: The Popish Plot Magic and Politics Part Company EchoesConclusion