[BLANK-1] were part of the religious violence that developed…
were part of the religious violence that developed in the context of the Protestant Reformation, when Europe experienced a heightened sense of God’s power and divine wrath, as well as the diabolical powers of the Devil. They first began in Switzerland and southern Germany in the late fifteenth century, became less numerous during the early decades of the Reformation, and then picked up significantly around 1560. They spread throughout much of western Europe and the European colonies in the Americas, and between 100,000-200,000 people were criminally accused and between 40,000-60,000 were executed. By around 1660, these proceedings had become less common.