The Bedevilment of Elizabeth Lorentz

Elizabeth Lorentz was a servant girl in early modern Germany who was tormented by her belief that she was possessed by the Devil, and eventually brought to trial in 1667. The trial grappled with the question of whether Lorentz was a willing accomplice of the Devil or merely suffering from melancholy as a result of her previous sins. To provide readers with historical context, Morton includes several sixteenth- and seventeenth-century documents dealing with demonic possession and spiritual melancholy. The Bedevilment of Elizabeth Lorentz provides excellent insight into the complexities of Protestant attitudes and the circumstances of young women in early modern Europe.