Was witchcraft most popular in the middle ages?

Answer 1

The largest number of witchcraft prosecutions in England took place between 1563 and 1603, and again between 1645 and 1647. The last execution of an English witch took place in 1685; the last trial for witchcraft was in 1717.

The above was taken from a site on the Net, but IMHO I think witchcraft was around well before that and is still around today, so the answer to your question is witchcraft has always been popular, however witches were heavily persecuted during the middle ages.

More:

What we currently call witchcraft may always have been practiced, but its popularity has varied widely during time. It was not always persecuted during the Middle Ages, and its place under the law is poorly understood in today's popular culture. Charlemagne, for example, had laws passed making it murder to execute a person for witchcraft unless it could be proven that the person had actually used witchcraft to kill someone.

It is probably also wise to remember that things some people call witchcraft are not given the same name by others. Even today, some people regard witchcraft as a folk religion, but others call dowsing a type of witchcraft.

Answer 2

It is more accurate to say that persecution of alleged witches grew in popularity in the late Middle Ages. Witchcraft was defined by the officials and religious fanatics who carried out witch trials and prosecutions and executions. They had other motives in mind rather than actual evidence against people who were accused of consorting with the devil, both political and religious.

A review of available documentation from that time reveals ridiculous claims that were used to prosecute alleged witches and to a modern reader provides evidence of the mass psychosis of the perpetrators. Horrifying tortures were devised that made the victims willing to confess just to end their pain. Bodies were torn apart. Many of those tortures were sexual in nature and is an aspect of that time in history that needs more research.