Archaeology & History

New study reveals what sparked 15th-Century witch trial obsession

By T.K. Randall
October 19, 2024

Image: Witchcraft at Salem Village
Credit: William A. Crafts (1876) / (PD) Copyright Expired From the 15th to 18th centuries, if you happened to be suspected of being a witch (a practitioner of magic or possessor of supernatural powers) you would likely be in for a difficult time.

Across Europe and beyond, thousands of people - mostly women - were convicted and executed for being witches in an intense period of persecution known as the 'witch hunts' or 'witch trials'.

While the injustices brought upon these innocent victims are now well known, what isn't all well understood is exactly why people became so obsessed with hunting witches in the first place.

Now, according to a new study, the culprit was most likely the invention and widespread adoption of the printing press which enabled the spread of a new theory about witchcraft in the 15th century.

Perhaps the most influential book in this regard was Malleus Maleficarum by Heinrich Kramer which, according to the study, helped to "depict witchcraft as conspiratorial activity against godly society and not simply mischief by village sorceresses, pagans, or ignorant peasants."The book even contained what has been described as "the first printed guide for witch-hunters."

"The book's great innovation was to combine an elaborate theological explanation of witchcraft with practical guidance on the methods of investigating, interrogating, and convicting witches," the study authors wrote.

"It endorsed the use of inquisitorial methods by secular judges and argued for a relaxation of legal restraints in witchcraft prosecution. "

It is perhaps no surprise, then, that it would lead to the widespread conviction of countless suspected witches.

The practice continued for several centuries before it was finally brought to a stop.

Source: Popular Mechanics

Tags: Witches, Witchcraft