Why was Johannes Kepler’s mother accused of witchcraft? How did Kepler defend her?

The witch trial of Johannes Kepler’s mother, Katharina Kepler, is a striking example of how the history of science intersected with law and societal fears in 17th-century Europe. The renowned astronomer, at a time when he was formulating the laws of planetary motion, waged a years-long legal battle to save his mother from the death Why was Johannes Kepler’s mother accused of witchcraft? How did…