Bartolo, Lawyer of Sassoferrato

One of the most prominent lawyers of the 1330s, Bartolo of Sassoferrato considered witchcraft to be the religious transgression of idolatry. When a woman was charged with being a witch in the diocese of Novara, Bartola said she was an idolater since through her use of magic she had renounced baptism and Christ. For the crime, she deserved death via the "law of the gospel," which was considered the highest law of all.

"Furthermore, Bartolo found grounds in Roman and canon law for executing a woman who has committed offenses against God." Nevertheless, if she repented of her crimes and the judge deemed her repentance sincere, her life could be spared. In this way, Bartolo left the sentencing to the judge's discretion.

Bartolo was one of the least rabid of witch-hunters (Kieckhefer 180).

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Bartolo, Lawyer of Sassoferrato copyrighted 1996-1998 to Shantell Powell.