Heinrich Kramer's Malleus Maleficarum: The 15th-Century Treatise That Fueled European Witch Hunts
Released in 1486, the Malleus Maleficarum emerged as a pivotal work for witch hunts across Europe between the mid-15th and mid-18th centuries. Authored by Heinrich Kramer, it was written following opposition from Helena Scheuberin. Kramer inaccurately credited Jacob Sprenger as a co-author and misappropriated Pope Innocent VIII's 1484 papal bull as an introduction. The text is structured in three sections, claiming the existence of witchcraft, outlining supposed practices, and recommending torture for obtaining confessions. Its deeply misogynistic themes contributed to women constituting 75-80% of the estimated 40,000-50,000 executions from around 100,000 trials. Critiques emerged from theologians at the Faculty of Cologne and later from figures such as Johann Weyer and Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld. By the 19th century, the book's impact had diminished.
Key facts
- The Malleus Maleficarum was published in 1486 by Heinrich Kramer.
- Kramer was a Dominican inquisitor who also used the Latinized name Henricus Institoris.
- Pope Innocent VIII issued the papal bull Summis desiderantes in 1484, granting inquisitors jurisdiction in Upper Germany.
- Kramer falsely listed Jacob Sprenger as co-author to add authority to later editions.
- The book's three parts covered the reality of witchcraft, descriptions of witch activities, and legal procedures including torture.
- An estimated 100,000 witch trials from 1450 to 1750 resulted in 40,000-50,000 executions, with 75-80% of victims being women.
- Major critics included Johann Weyer, who published De Praestigiis Daemonum in 1563, and Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld, who published Cautio Criminalis in 1631.
- The book's influence waned with the Enlightenment and ended by the 19th century.
Entities
Artists
- Heinrich Kramer
- Henricus Institoris
- Jacob Sprenger
- Helena Scheuberin
- Pope Innocent VIII
- Georg Golser
- Robin Briggs
- Johann Weyer
- Friedrich Spee von Langenfeld
- Henry Ossawa Tanner
- Terence
Institutions
- Dominican Order
- Archbishop of Salzburg
- Faculty of Cologne
- Jesuit Order
Locations
- Europe
- Upper Germany
- Salzburg
- Brixen
- Cologne
- Germany
- Switzerland
- Netherlands
- Paderborn
- Peeblesshire
- Scotland