Procesy o czary przed sądem sołtysim Kowalewa (Pomorskiego) w XVII–XVIII wieku

The article discusses witch trials in the court of the village head [sołtys] in Kowalewo (Pomorskie) in the Early Modern period. It is the first scientific study referring to the subject matter. The description of witch trials in the court in Kowalewo was possible thanks to the preserved books of the town council, which included the information concerning trials, accusations or sometimes only sentences. The course of the trials indicates that in Kowalewo and the vicinities it was strongly believed that witches serving the devil existed. The belief increased in the times of economic and social crises, which were quite abundant in Poland in the 16th–18th centuries.