Royal Witches: Witchcraft and the Nobility in Fifteenth-Century England

Until the mass hysteria of the seventeenth century, accusations of witchcraft in England were rare. However, four royal women, related in family and in court ties-Joan of Navarre, Eleanor Cobham, Jacquetta of Luxembourg, and Elizabeth Woodville-were accused of practicing witchcraft in order to kill or influence the king. Some of these women may have turned to the “dark arts” in order to divine the future or obtain healing potions, but the purpose of the accusations was purely political. Des...