The trial was instigated in 1679 by the Governor, Dr Romaricus Prügler von Herkelsberg, in Vaduz.
At this point, the ruler of the state, Ferdinand Karl von Hohenems, had acquired large debts and the finances of the state were in a bad condition, which was reduced by the fact that the property of the executed could be confiscated by the crown.
After the escape of Maria Eberlin von Planken from Vaduz, the priest Valentin von Kriss vor Ort appeared before the Emperor in Innsbruck and claimed that the witch trials were conducted by unlawful methods.
In 1682, the commission declared the witch trials to be illegal and ordered them to stop.
The Liechtenstein witch trials led to feuds among the families of the accused and the accusers which affected the society of Liechtenstein for a very long period after the trials.