Case file · Witch trials
Sellem bin al-Sheikh Mansur, Malta
In 1605 the Roman Inquisition in Malta tried Sellem, an enslaved Egyptian living in Valletta, for selling magic; his trial file survives in the Mdina archives and he was paraded and pilloried.
1605 CE · 35.90, 14.51 · status: official
The account
Malta's Inquisition (1574–1798) heard many such cases, mostly in the harbour towns. Enslaved Muslims were often denounced when their love charms failed.
The sceptical view
A documented magic trial; no claim of supernatural events.