The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 were the largest outbreak of witch hunting in colonial New England up to that time. Although it was the largest outbreak, it was not something new. Witch hunting had been a part of colonial New England since the formation of the colonies. Between 1648 and 1663, approximately 15 witches were executed. During the winter of 1692 until February 1693, approximately 150 citizens were accused of being witches and approximately 25 of them died, either by hanging or in custody. There is no single, clear answer as to why this scourge of accusations has occurred, but rather several that must be examined and linked together. First, at the same time as the trials were taking place, King William's War was raging in what is now Maine between the settlers and the Wabanaki Indians with the help of the French. During this war, many brutal massacres took place on both sides, leaving children orphaned because of the war who had endured very traumatic experiences. Second, many of the accusations of witchcraft were based on spectral evidence, most of which were encounters of the accused appearing before the victim and "hurting" her. There were rampant "visions" among the citizens of the colonies, which can only be explained by hallucinations due to psychological or medical conditions due to illness or poisoning. King William's War was a war fought in England over religious differences between the English and the French. . In the colonies, however, conflicts were not only linked to religious differences, but also to jealousies over fishing and the fur trade in the St. Lawrence region. The English and French knew that the local Indians would play an important role in the war regardless of which side they took... middle of paper ... in them, but rather a host of reasons that must be sorted and used in conjunction with each other. The best explanation for the proliferation of accusations is a psychological and/or medical epidemic due in part to King William's War. Since many of the accusers were survivors of the war's unrest who had resettled in or near Salem, it can be said that if King William's War had been resolved in Europe before fighting broke out in the New World, it is quite possible that the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 would not have happened to the multitude of people that they experienced. It is impractical to say that they would not have happened at all, as witchcraft and witch-hunting were known to colonial culture long before the trials of 1692. One can only speculate as to how the Things would have been different in the New World if only King William's War was resolved in Europe.