In 1487, two Dominican inquisitors Henirich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger wrote the Malleus Maleficarum, in English can be translated to the Hammer of Witches. The Malleus Maleficarum was a one of a kind document, meaning that it was the first document that laid the official groundwork for how to prosecute people who were believed to have used witchcraft. Kramer and Sprenger believed that women were more likely to be prosecuted as witches than men because they believed that women had wicked tendencies
The witches hammer or Malleus Maleficarum which translates to The Hammer of Witches is the famous treatise on witches written by Heinrich Krame in germany in 1486 who was a catholic clergymen, and also by Jacob Sprenger who was a professors of theology. Malleus Maleficarum made the argument that witchcraft did not exist. and It also told how to identify, interrogate and convict witches. " Malleus elevates sorcery to the criminal status of heresy and prescribes inquisitorial
The Malleus Maleficarum (Latin for “The Hammer of Witches”, or “Hexenhammer” in German) is one of the most famous medieval treatises on witches. It was written in 1486 by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, and was first published in Germany in 1487. Its main purpose was to challenge all arguments against the existence of witchcraft and to instruct magistrates on how to identify, interrogate and convict witches. The Malleus Maleficarum (Latin for “The Hammer of Witches”, or “Hexenhammer” in German)
Catholic Church by Heinrick Kramer. It is better known as the “The Malleus Maleficarum”, Published in Germany in 1487. Jacob Sprenger also contributed to writing this book. It was the “Bloodiest” book ever written in history. It was put together for the examiners, executioners and torturers follow on how to question, torture and kill the accused. The book claims that more women than men were witches, because women were weak mined. Malleus draws upon the belief for the work of time. He was later denounced
During 1486 the book Malleus Maleficarum, also known as “The Hammer of Witches”, was the second bestselling book, following closely behind the Bible. This text cultivated the belief that women were connected and associated with the devil. Due to the mass influential text, inquisitors would use this as a method to identify, interrogate and prosecute individuals accused of being a witch. The influence of “The Hammer of the Witches” arose from widespread use by authorities, which led to witch trials
In the three documents, “Bull Summis desiderantes” written by Innocent VIII, “The Ant Hill ”, written by Johannes Nider and Extracts from “The hammer of witches” written by Malleus Maleficarum, regarding the hunting of witches, the beliefs of witchcraft and the trail process for those accused of witchcraft all show a great deal of evidence that those accused of witchcraft had no chance at a fair trial. In the document, “Bull Summis desiderantes” written by Innocent VIII, sheds light on how the catholic
witchcraft had. Bibliography: BIBLIOGRAPHY Clark, Patricia. Class lecture. History 202. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 26 September 2000. Kramer, Heinrich and Jacob Sprenger. Malleus Maleficarum. Trans. Montague Summers. 1928. New York: Dover,1971. 41-44,140-4. Weisner, Merry E. Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe. 2nd ed. Cambridge UP,2000.
(Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972), 81. 6. Davidson, 28 & 30. 7. Davidson, 82. 8. Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Spenger, “The Malleus Maleficarum,” in Witchcraft in Europe 1100-1700, Alan Kors and Edward Peters (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972), 130. 9. Davidson, 28. 10. Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Spenger, “The Malleus Maleficarum,” in Witchcraft in Europe 1100-1700, Alan Kors and Edward Peters (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1972), 132. 11. Davidson
many people. How were the Puritans able to tell if there witch suspect truly used witchcraft before they took action and killed the “witch”? The Malleus Maleficarum is one of the main tools used to prove a person was a witch. Used as a helpful tool for the Puritans in The Salem Witch Trials, the Malleus Maleficarum was used often. The Malleus Maleficarum, Latin for “The Hammer of Witches”, is one of the most famous medieval treatises on witches. It was written and first published in Germany 1486
In the Malleus Maleficarum, Sprenger and Kramer’s basic argument about the origins of witchcraft is that witchcraft is found chiefly in women due to several reasons that focus on characteristics of women. Sprenger and Kramer argue that witchcraft in women is more probable because women were very naïve and impressionable, carnal lust is never satisfied in women, and they are of lower intelligence and weaker memories than men. Women are viewed as very naïve and impressionable because they are influenced
For many historians, the Malleus Maleficarum is the main significant text that inspired the beginning of the witch trials in early modern Europe, and is responsible for influencing a change in the times were the issue of witchcraft went from a small matter amongst people to a driving force of mass witch hunts and trials. Michael Bailey takes a different approach by citing Johannes Nider’s Formicarius (1437) as the text that influenced this change and inspired the beginning of witch trials and witch
people were put to death by this same notion. Nevertheless, was it fair? Did they truly have a fair trial or was it used to eliminate innocent people for some kind of gain? Pope Innocent VIII (1484), Johannes Nider (1437), and an excerpt from Malleus Maleficarum (Hammer of the Witches, 1486), elaborates on stories of witchcraft, signs of witchcraft, and punishment for the highest considered form of heresy. These sources will make it very clear that people accused of witchcraft were unfairly prosecuted
Witchcraft trials were prevalent throughout medieval history, especially throughout the continents of North America and Europe. The propose of these witchcraft trials was to identify those that appeared to be practicing witchcraft, place them on trial, and ultimately punish them for their alleged heretical beliefs and behaviors. These hunts and trials were often sanctioned by high ranking members of the church. One such high ranking supporter was Pope Innocent VIII, who not only acted as the
middle of paper ... .... The Devil in the shape of a Woman. London: W.W. Norton and Company. Kors, A.C. & Peters E. (1972). Witchcraft in europe 1100 - 1700. Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Press Inc. Kramer, H. & Sprenger, J. (1928). The Malleus Maleficarum. New York: Dover Publications Inc. Levack, B.P. (1987). The Witch-Hunt in Eirly Modern Europe. London: Longman Group. Marwick, M. (1982). Witchcraft and Sorcery. London: Penguin Books Ltd. MacIvor, H. (1996). Women and Politics in Canada
that was justified by stereotypes and prejudices against women during the time. Through analysing multiple primary sources including The Witch Persecution at Wurzburg, the Witch Persecution at Trier and Heinrich Kramer and James Sprenger’s Malleus Maleficarum, societal normalities during this time are reinforced, highlighting the popular belief that women were intellectually weaker than
(2.1.68-73) Alongside Desdemona’s lack of concern for Othello, her apparent escape from the waves appears somewhat suspicious. The Malleus Maleficarum states that ‘there can be no doubt that witches can cause hailstorms, lightening, and storms at sea’. Drawing upon an instance where a woman was tried for summoning a storm, The Malleus Maleficarum notes how she set the storm in motion. She recalled how she dug a small trench and filled it with water; the woman commented ‘I set [the water]
The study of witchcraft and its presence in the high middle ages of Europe and Central America is the fundamental significance in the understanding of mankind. It not only explores notions of theology, spirituality, social psychology, history of social protest but also highlights the issue that is the female position. This essay attempts to deal with the epidemic of Witch persecutions, how the phenomenon came about and to what degree and whom was it accepted. It will attempt to understand the context
The belief in magic was another factor that widen the social gap between the lower and elite classes. Similar to James, the English elite believed in witchcraft and encouraged witch-hunting, yet the English elite did not participate in the hysteria of the “witch-hunting” like the lower classes did. However, The belief in witchcraft within the elite class conversely created a new subject for intellectual debate. The idea of dark magic and witchcraft “formed part of a popular subculture, separate and
to be demons.” The first original idea that women are more vulnerable to sinning than men is obviously from the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible. However, the idea that mainly women were witches spread drastically from the manuscript of Malleus Maleficarum (The Hammer of Witches), stating how “all wickedness, is but little to the wickedness of a woman… What else is woman but a foe to friendship, an inescapable punishment, a necessary evil, a natural temptation, a desirable calamity, domestic danger
Kramer (the author) states that women are fragile, therefore they cannot resist the temptation. The temptation being in reference to sexual activity, often seen in relation to the devil, therefore being the reason they became possessed (Kramer, “Malleus Maleficarum Part 1 Question VI.”). Implying that women give themselves up easily and that men are more resilient when it comes to self control in that