<P> Concurrent with the events in Würzburg, Prince - Bishop Johann von Dornheim would embark upon a similar series of large - scale witch trials in the nearby territory of Bamberg . A specially designed Malefizhaus (witch house) was erected containing a torture chamber, whose walls were adorned with Bible verses, in which to interrogate the accused . The Bamberg witch trials would drag on for five years and claimed between 300 and 600 lives, among them Dorothea Flock and the city's long - time Bürgermeister (mayor) Johannes Junius . Meanwhile, 274 suspected witches were put to the torch in the Bishopric of Eichstätt in 1629, while another 50 perished in the adjacent Duchy of Palatinate - Neuburg that same year . </P> <P> Elsewhere, the persecutions arrived in the wake of the early Imperial military successes . The witch hunts expanded into Baden following its reconquest by Tilly, while the Imperial victory in the Palatinate opened the way for their eventual spread to the Rhineland . The Rhenish electorates of Mainz and Trier both witnessed mass burnings of suspected witches during this time . In Cologne, the territory's Prince - Archbishop, Ferdinand of Bavaria, presided over a particularly infamous series of witchcraft trials that included the controversial prosecution of Katharina Henot, who was burned at the stake in 1627 . During this time, the witch hunts also continued their unchecked growth, as new and increased incidents of alleged witchcraft began surfacing in the territories of Westphalia . </P> <P> The witch hunts reached their peak around the time of the Edict of Restitution in 1629, and much of the remaining institutional and popular enthusiasm for them faded in the aftermath of Sweden's entry into the war the following year . However, in Würzburg, the persecutions continued until the death of Ehrenberg in July, 1631 . The excesses of this period inspired the Jesuit scholar and poet Friedrich Spee (himself a former "witch confessor") to author his scathing legal and moral condemnation of the witch trials, the Cautio Criminalis . This influential work later was credited with bringing an end to the practice of witch - burning in some areas of Germany and its gradual abolition throughout Europe . </P> <P> The Thirty Years' War rearranged the European power structure . During the last decade of the conflict Spain showed clear signs of weakening . While Spain was fighting in France, Portugal--which had been under personal union with Spain for 60 years--acclaimed John IV of Braganza as king in 1640, and the House of Braganza became the new dynasty of Portugal . Spain was forced to accept the independence of the Dutch Republic in 1648, ending the Eighty Years' War . Bourbon France challenged Habsburg Spain's supremacy in the Franco - Spanish War (1635--59), gaining definitive ascendancy in the War of Devolution (1667--68) and the Franco - Dutch War (1672--78), under the leadership of Louis XIV . </P>

When did england enter the 30 years war