{"title":"Dr Jan Machielsen","description":"\u003cp\u003eDr Jan Machielsen’s works delve into the intricate histories and turbulent events of past centuries, offering readers a thoughtful exploration of historical conflicts and societal transformations. With a particular focus on episodes like the Basque witch-hunts, his writing illuminates the complexities of persecution, identity, and power in early modern Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders interested in \u003cem\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Military\u003c\/em\u003e will appreciate Machielsen’s meticulous research and compelling narrative style, which bring to life the often-overlooked nuances of historical strife. His books provide a nuanced perspective on how history’s darker moments have shaped cultural and political landscapes.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-basque-witch-hunt-by-dr-jan-machielsen-9781350441507","title":"The Basque Witch-Hunt","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2025 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PUBLISHERS PROSE AWARDS WINNER: EUROPEAN HISTORY\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn June 1609, two judges left Bordeaux for a territory at the very edge of their jurisdiction, a Basque-speaking province on the Atlantic coast called the Pays de Labourd. In four months, they executed up to 80 women and men for the crime of witchcraft, causing a wave of suspects to flee into Spain and sparking terror there. Witnesses, many of them children, described lurid tales of cannibalism, vampirism, and demonic sex.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the judges, Pierre de Lancre, published a sensationalist account of this diabolical netherworld. With other accounts seemingly destroyed, this witch-hunt – France's largest – has always been seen through de Lancre’s eyes. The narrative, re-told over the centuries, is that of a witch-hunt caused by a bigoted outsider.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNewly discovered evidence paints a very different, still darker picture, revealing a secret history underneath de Lancre’s well-known tale. Far from an outside imposition, witchcraft was a home-grown problem. Panic had been building up over a number of years and the region was fractured by factionalism and a struggle over scarce resources. \u003cem\u003eThe Basque Witch-Hunt\u003c\/em\u003e reveals that de Lancre was no outsider; he was a local partisan, married into the Basque nobility.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLiving at the Franco-Spanish border, the Basques were victims of geography. Geo-politics caused a local conflict which made the witch-hunt inevitable. The same forces eventually sent thousands of religious refugees from Spain to France where they, in turn, became new objects of popular fear and anger.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Basque witch-hunt is justly infamous. This book shows that almost everything historians thought they knew about it is wrong.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849993375980,"sku":"9781350441507","price":61.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/22327353482668.jpg?v=1759073321"},{"product_id":"the-basque-witch-hunt-by-dr-jan-machielsen-9781350607514","title":"The Basque Witch-Hunt","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2025 AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PUBLISHERS PROSE AWARDS WINNER: EUROPEAN HISTORY\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn June 1609, two judges left Bordeaux for a territory at the very edge of their jurisdiction, a Basque-speaking province on the Atlantic coast called the Pays de Labourd. In four months, they executed up to 80 women and men for the crime of witchcraft, causing a wave of suspects to flee into Spain and sparking terror there. Witnesses, many of them children, described lurid tales of cannibalism, vampirism, and demonic sex. One of the judges, Pierre de Lancre, published a sensationalist account of this diabolical netherworld. With other accounts seemingly destroyed, this witch-hunt—France's largest—has always been seen through de Lancre’s eyes. The narrative, re-told over the centuries, is that of a witch-hunt caused by a bigoted outsider.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNewly discovered evidence paints a very different, still darker picture, revealing a secret history underneath de Lancre’s well-known tale. Far from an outside imposition, witchcraft was a home-grown problem. Panic had been building up over a number of years, and the region was fractured by factionalism and a struggle over scarce resources. \u003cem\u003eThe Basque Witch-Hunt\u003c\/em\u003e reveals that de Lancre was no outsider; he was a local partisan, married into the Basque nobility. Living at the Franco-Spanish border, the Basques were victims of geography. Geo-politics caused a local conflict which made the witch-hunt inevitable. The same forces eventually sent thousands of religious refugees from Spain to France where they, in turn, became new objects of popular fear and anger.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Basque witch-hunt is justly infamous. This book shows that almost everything historians thought they knew about it is wrong.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47664190652652,"sku":"9781350607514","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781350607514-the-basque-witch-hunt.jpg?v=1779661636"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/dr-jan-machielsen.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}