The First Witches

In 1324, wealthy and powerful Dame Alicia Kyteler becomes the target of a witch-hunt in Kilkenny after three husbands die suspiciously and her fourth falls gravely ill. Historian Anthony Bale traces how gossip, fear and religious fervour turned accusations against Alicia and her accomplices into tragedy, with one woman burned at the stake. Their case helped crystallise the idea of the witch and foreshadowed the devastating witch craze that would sweep across Europe.