ABSTRACT
In mid-1812 more than thirty-two of the inhabitants of the Spanish village of Tosos, claimed to be possessed. Most of the population blamed one woman, who was labelled a witch and expelled from the village. This episode provides some fascinating insights into the study of emotions in a crucial period of historical change. According to most of the villagers, the emotional disturbances were caused by demons invoked by the witch. According to the representatives of the Church, the afflicted were either faking their possession or insane. In this new, enlightened age, witchcraft was no longer something to be unquestioningly accepted.
