Which witch prosecutions became the biggest series of witch trials in Spanish history?

The Basque witch trials became the biggest series of witch prosecutions in Spanish history.

The persecutions unfolded mainly in Navarre and surrounding Basque territories between 1609 and 1614. The Spanish Inquisition’s tribunal at Logroño investigated allegations of witchcraft after accusations spread across communities near the French-Spanish border. The episode was influenced partly by a simultaneous witch-hunt in the French Basque country led by Pierre de Lancre.

Roughly 7,000 cases were examined by the Inquisition, making the trials Spain’s largest witch-hunt by the number of people investigated. The best-known local focus was Zugarramurdi, whose cave and supposed meeting place became central to the accusations. In the 1610 auto-da-fé at Logroño, six accused people were ultimately executed, while five others were represented by effigies after dying in prison.

The trials also produced an important skeptical reaction. Inquisitor Alonso de Salazar Frías found confessions inconsistent and often retracted. His investigations helped inspire the Inquisition’s 1614 instructions, which demanded stronger evidence and curtailed mass witch-burnings.