Зрада і відданість у відносинах "пан-слуга" в контексті українських судів про чари XVI - XVIІІ ст.

Abstract

Social difference of the accuser and the accused was not a precondition but was nevertheless present in many Ukrainian witchcraft trials of the researched period. Moreover, to a certain extent trials involving people of different social origin fall apart from the majority of cases with socially equal participants. In the article the author discusses the relationship of masters and servants as they were reflected in the trial records. In many cases, masters could bring the accusations against their servants but there were other scenarios of master-subordinate relationships which were ignored by researchers. For example, masters were not only the persecutors but also grateful employers of magic services provided by their servants. When master-servant relationships were involved in the trial, the character of the latter would drastically change in most of the cases. Judges, usually reluctant to make any investigation about witchcraft, would suddenly become active and enthusiastic. They would allow the use of the torture and most often would pronounce the death penalty for the offender. In most of the cases, especially those which ended with execution, it was not the crime of witchcraft itself that made judges impose severe sentences. The accusations brought by masters against their serv ants could have been based on pure suspicions, when no real harm was done to anyone. What is important is that it was not a witch who was to be punished and executed but rather a disloyal servant who undermined his master's trust. However, loyal servants could hope for master's support and help in case they were accused of witchcraft by the outsider. On the other hand, good servants had chance to demonstrate their loyalty to masters whether by witnessing in favor of their masters accused of witchcraft, or by playing the role of the intermediary between the masters and witchcraft practitioners.