The era of medieval European history involving the vast and complicated witch hunts from 1450 to 1750 is demonstrative of the socioeconomic, religious, and cultural changes that were occurring in a population unprepared for the reconstruction of society. Although numerous conclusions regarding the witch trials, why they occurred, and who was prosecuted have been based on agreement, there remain interpretations that broaden central beliefs. By examining multiple topics one can observe a greater understanding of this period as there remains an impressive amount of catalysts and consequences that emerged. In search of greater understanding three different interpretations will be presented. These interpretations involving Brian Levack's "Witch Hunts in Early Modern Europe," Eric Boss's "Syphilis, Misogyny, and Witchcraft in 16th-Century Europe" and "The European Witch Craze of the 14th to 17th Centuries" by Nachman Ben-Yehuda: A Sociologist's Perspective,” share various opinions as they develop their theories. Comparison of these observations will focus on why the witch trials occurred when they occurred, why they stopped when they occurred, why the witch trials occurred when they occurred, and who was persecuted and who was responsible for identifying and punishing witches. .As to why the witch hunts occurred when they followed the opinion agreed upon by all three authors, there is the social unrest and uncertainty felt due to the Protestant Reformation and the schism it created between the population, the effects of recovery from plague and war, and the imposed patriarchal structure of a changing society. It was during the Reformation that Christians... middle of paper... approached the world with a broader awareness and accepted the world without "relying on supernatural explanations... and encouraged... scientific way ”,8 abolishing the need for scapegoats. A view shared by both Levack and Ben-Yehuda is the result of religious changes. A new religious tolerance emerged that Ben-Yehuda attributed to the Peace of Westphalia, stating that “once the stability and accepted religious pluralism, the witch hunt weakened, until it disappeared completely". If it could be deduced through the understanding of disease and medicine, the end of persecutions due to death and disease would cease. Works Cited1 Nachman Ben -Yehuda The European Witch Craze from the 14th to the 17th Century: A Sociologist's Perspective. The University of Chicago, 1980. 15. 2 Levack! 164.