Science vs. Witchcraft: The Kepler Trial

Not Just the Tudors

History Hit

History

4.8 • 3K Ratings

🗓️ 26 February 2024

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Astronomer Johannes Kepler was an important and admired figure in the scientific revolution of the early 17th century. But when his widowed mother was accused of witchcraft, the scientist remarkably defended her, in a trial that lasted six years.

In this episode of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to author Ulinka Rublack who has pieced together this extraordinary true story.

This episode was edited by Ella Blaxill and produced by Rob Weinberg.

Enjoy unlimited access to award-winning original documentaries that are released weekly and AD-FREE podcasts. Get a subscription for £1 per month for 3 months with code TUDORS - sign up here.

You can take part in our listener survey here.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome to not just the tutors from History Hit.
0:03.0	To listen to all of our episodes, add free,
0:06.0	and watch hundreds of history documentaries,
0:08.0	download the History Hit app,
0:11.0	or go to History Hit.com forward slash subscribe.
0:15.0	And if you're an app or listener, you can subscribe for new ad-free episodes within the app. The European witch trials were particularly virulent in the southern German states.
0:33.0	Beginning with the Trio witch trials in the late 16th century
0:36.0	and continuing over a 50-year period,
0:39.0	mass trials and executions occurred in the region.
0:43.0	At a time when accusations could be made without what we consider to be proof,
0:48.0	when interrogation, lengthy, imprisonment and torture were commonly used to elicit confessions.
0:54.0	Southern Germany was responsible for about 25% of all executions in Europe.
1:01.0	One which accused in southwest Germany was Katerina Kepler, whose arrest issued in 1615 and
1:08.4	enacted in 1620, saw her imprisoned for a 14- month period.
1:14.0	During this time, her son, the astronomer Johannes Kepler,
1:18.0	acted in her defense.
1:20.0	In one of the best surviving
1:22.0	and most extensively documented trials of the period,
1:25.6	Johanna systematically refuted each allegation against his mother
1:29.9	in an attempt to save her from the fate that befell so many.
1:34.0	Joining me to discuss this case study that allows us to explore both early science
1:40.0	and entrenched witch beliefs is Yolinka Rubach,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from History Hit, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of History Hit and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.