These two laws was passed in Denmark. They were intended to prevent innocent from being condemmed to be burned at the stake. In the end it also prevented mass witch trials. Owerall only one or two people was accused and convicted at the time.
A convicted witch's word was neither to be believed. That ment that her word was not enough to start an accusation and trial.
The other site that prevented the mass trials was the legal system. In Denmark the accusatory system was used. That ment that a private person had to carry his grievance to the courts and pay for the trial himself until the allerged witch was convicted. That set some limit to the number of trials itself.
Københavns Reces 1547 (Christian II)
Endvidere skal ingen pinlig forhøres uden at vedkommende er blevet dømt til døden for en ugergerning.
Further no one shall be tortured before they have been convicted of the crime and sentenced to death for their deeds.
Den Kalundborgske Reces 1576 (Frederik den 2.)
Artikel 8.
”Da det tit og ofte blevet befundet, at de som er blevet dømt og henrettet, har været uskyldige. Da ingen uskyldige skal tages af dage før den endelige dom er afsagt, vil vi, at der herefter skal forholdes således, at når Kirkenævn har dømt nogen, som er anklaget for trolddomssager, da skal den, som er dømt ikke straks henrettes, men tilbageholdes, indtil sagen har været for Landstinget og landdommerne bedømt den og enten dømme det det tidligere Kirkenævn at være ved magt eller at være faldet.”
Engelsk
The of Kalundborg 1576 (Frederik den 2.)
Part 8:
Since it has been often found that innocent has been sentenced and executed. Since no innocent is to be killed before the final judgment (Gods judgment) it should be like this, when the local court has sentenced someone that has been accused of sorcery, then they shall not be executed at once, but the case be tried before the appeal court and the County judge has reviewed the case and judged the local court to be correct or in error of the defendant.
