I want to talk about the Statute of Secrecy
Alternate Title: Please tell me about the late 1600s/early 1700s.
Okay so there is kind of a theme in the background of HP that like, the wizarding world withdrew into itself in the past and is in some ways still frozen in that time. It seems like the 20th century has shaken that up, but there are definitely still echoes of this history present in the culture. Like. How much though? I have a lot of ideas about how the Muggle 20th century bled into the wizarding world, because I know stuff about it, but what was it like before that?
- Wizards were keeping themselves de facto seperate in a lot of cases long before this, how much/how little overlap is there in wizard vs muggle cultures in the past?
- JK says a lot was in response to witch burning etc, but I always hear that that isn’t accurate to the period? What is the truth????
- How involved were wizards in like, British colonialism? Were they even aware of it?
- Comes to that, how different is the HP world from ours? Did some bits of history play out differently? It seems like it might have.
- Sir Isaac Newton was doing astronomy, calculus, and various alchemical research, and experimenting with gravity during this period, and was criticized for introducing "occult agencies" into science. He also went a little crazy during the 1690s and almost certainly had alchemy-related mercury poisoning. Make of this what you will.
-Pennsylvania founded in 1682. Just a fun fact that to me grounds what period this is in.
- August 25, 1682 – Following the Bideford witch trial, three women become the last known to be hanged for witchcraft in England, at Exeter.
- 1689, February: William III and Mary II are proclaimed co-rulers of England, Scotland and Ireland, deposing King James VII. Parts of Ireland does not recognize their authority, leading to a war, ended by the Treaty of Limerick in 1691. There is also some kind of resistance in Scotland.
- 1689 -International Confederation of Wizards signs the International Code of Wizarding Secrecy, to be implemented in 1692. First meeting was in France. Goblins wanted in and were refused. Notably, the title for the leader of the council is taken from an Algonquin word.
- Who was on the council? What countries? How connected was the wizarding world at this time? How connected is it now? The Scourers “formed due to the lack of any form of wizarding governance and law enforcement in the New World,” but MACUSA seems to be part of the statute now? What’s the deal with America? Do wizards recognize, for example, Iroquois, as a separate country still?
- China is in the Qing Dynasty when whatever portion of the wizarding world withdraws. This dynasty will not end IRL until the early 20th century. This is a pretty UK-centric history but this is just a thing that I know.
o In Great Britain, the newly-created Ministry of Magic attempted to liaise with the Muggle British Monarch (then jointly William III and Mary II) via a special Ministry Delegation, begging them for the protection of wizards under Muggle law. The failure of this attempt at official recognition and protection seems to have been the final straw that forced wizardkind to voluntarily move in the opposite direction toward secrecy.
o The Pro-Secrecy side wanted to peacefully withdraw and hide. The Anti-Secrecy side mostly wanted to declare war on the Muggles, except the Malfoys, who were Anti-Secrecy because they didn’t want to lose their political and business connections.
-A bunch of fictional towns are established, including Godric’s Hollow, as post-secrecy communities form. Worldbuilding implied but underutilized.
- Borders have changed enormously in response to non-magical politics, what does a world map look like drawn by wizards?
Theories? Thoughts? Historical knowledge?
