Summary Of The Malleus Maleficarum '

In the sixteenth century, from the spread of torture as a technique in witchcraft trials, new questions arise: why did people at the time believe that confessions created via torture were sound evidence to be used in the conviction of the defendant? I hypothesize that, confessions extracted during witchcraft trials via torture were accepted as sound evidence of guilt because of statements made by the nobility and clergy. Malleus maleficarum is a compilation of special manuals also known as hammers, and other manuscript manuals. The Malleus malficarum was one of the first ever witch-hunt manuals, written by two Dominican monks: Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger, who is credited by modern people argue about his participation. The book is divided …show more content…
Malleus Maleficarum is a book in which outlines the wickedness and innate evil in women and why they are destined to turn to witchcraft. The Malleus contained a lengthy discussion on why women were especially prone to witchcraft. It states that women are less creatures than men and have tendency of being wicked and spiteful. This book was used to determine who the witches were just by physical features, and it was also used to prosecute them. Suspected witches were tortured and put to death and most of them were women. The Hammer of Witches main purpose was to identify, interrogate and convict witches. It countered the arguments that stated that witchcraft wasn’t real, convinced skeptics that witchcraft was something to be feared, and also gave instructions on how to punish and torture witches. Many people were wrongly convicted because of this book. The book was later banned by the Catholic …show more content…
“Witches” were generally poor, unemployed women or widows from ages twenty to twenty-five. Usually women, but there were exceptions in which there were some male witches. Women are more credulous and more impressionable than men. Women have “slippery tongues and cannot conceal from other women anything they have learned by the evil arts” Women had greater sexual appetites, so their lust leads them to accept even the Devil as a lover. Women are defective and cannot control their affections or passions and so they “search for brood over, and inflict various vengeances, with be witchcraft or by some other means.” Witches practiced evil magic in order to do harm. In early times, many believed their magic was the potent remains of pagan religions. Witches were able to affect the weather to destroy crops and cause havoc, they liked to eat babies. Most however needed to go through a time of learning to cast spells, recipes and ritual from other more experienced witches. Witches had the supernatural ability to fly, the usually on a broomstick or something similar. They sometimes flew in spirit and at other times they physically traveled through the air. Witches were believed to arrange Sabbaths, also had festival and gatherings. They also worshiped and made offerings to the Devil, while a witch could go up to the position of a bishop.
How exactly is “witchcraft” being defined in this period. Witchcraft is the use of magic or sorcery, communication