For around 300 years, until the end of the 18th century, Europe saw a veritable witch hunt, with 90,000 trials brought against alleged witches, half of whom were executed in atrocious ways. The main driver of this madness was the Malleus Maleficarumwritten in 1487 by the Dominican friar Heinrich Kramer. Considered the essential text on demonology for centuries, this book explained witchcraft in theological terms and provided practical guidance for identifying and prosecuting witches.
The invention of the printing press in 1450 played a crucial role in the dissemination of this text. The Malleus Maleficarum managed to incite a veritable obsession with witch hunting, as it portrayed witchcraft not only as a harmless form of magic, but as a threat to religious and moral society. This concept, supported by ecclesiastical and imperial authorities, pushed rulers to eliminate every legal obstacle to persecution.
The spread of madness and the factors that influenced the trials
According to a recent study, the increase in witchcraft accusations in the 553 municipalities of Central Europe between 1400 and 1679 coincided with the new publications of Malleus Maleficarum. Geographical and temporal proximity to the text’s publications significantly increased the likelihood that a city would initiate witchcraft trials. Accusations spread through a “diffusion of ideas” mechanism, similar to the adoption of modern policies by governments, fueled by pressure from neighboring communities.
Although other theories have attributed the intensification of the processes to events such as natural disasters and religious conflicts, researchers have found only weak correlations with these factors. In contrast, within two years of the book’s publication, cities like Nuremberg had already adopted the new guidelines to expose local witches.
The legacy of Malleus Maleficarum and its influence on social policies
The obsession with witch hunts showed a similar logic to contemporary decision-making processes: a new idea spreads, becomes the object of emulation and ends up changing social behavior. The study, published on Theory and Societyhighlights how the Malleus Maleficarum contributed significantly to the vision of witchcraft as an organized and subversive threat, establishing a model for the widespread adoption of persecution measures that changed the course of European history.
