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"Is this all real? Or has this been happening inside my head?"
The topic of this article is of a real-life subject that has been mentioned "in-universe" in a canon source. The Harry Potter Wiki is written from the perspective that all information presented in canon is true (e.g., Hogwarts really existed), and, as such, details contained in this article may differ from real world facts. |
Puritanism was a Muggle Christian religious movement that arose in the late 16th century in England. Its adherents, known as Puritans, sought to purge all traces of Roman Catholic belief and practice from the Church of England.[1]
Some Puritans left England to found colonies in North America.[1][2] There, they engaged in witch-hunts, accusing each other of witchcraft on the basis of little evidence and/or irrational beliefs, which struck fear into the hearts of North America's fledgling wizarding community and helped to largely dissuade Old World pure-blood families from settling on the continent.[2]
The Puritans' witch hunts culminated in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692–1693. However, at least two of the judges who presided over the trials were not actually Puritans, but rather Scourers seeking to settle vendettas against other wizards.[2]
Appearances[]
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film) (Mentioned in a deleted scene)
- Pottermore (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter (website) (Mentioned only)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Puritanism" on Encyclopedia Britannica
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "History of Magic in North America: Seventeenth Century and Beyond" on Pottermore (Archived)