Malleus Maleficarum

A treatise on witchcraft by Heinrich Kramer, first published in 1486, that argued for identifying, interrogating, and prosecuting alleged witches.

Heinrich Kramer: A German Dominican inquisitor who wrote the Malleus Maleficarum. Kramer authored the treatise and used it to defend witch prosecutions.
Witchcraft: The use of supernatural powers or practices believed to influence events, people, or nature. The treatise defines witchcraft as a pact with demons and a prosecutable offense.
Papal bull Summis desiderantes affectibus: A papal bull issued by Innocent VIII in 1484 concerning alleged witchcraft in parts of Germany. Kramer placed this authorization at the front of the treatise.
European witch trials: Legal prosecutions for witchcraft that occurred across Europe, especially from the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries. The treatise became associated with the wider history of witch prosecutions.
Demonology: The study or doctrine of demons and their supposed powers and relations with humans. The treatise places witchcraft within a system of demonic influence.
Witch trial: A legal proceeding in which a person is accused of practicing witchcraft. The book offers procedures for investigating and prosecuting alleged witches.
Innocent VIII: Pope from 1484 to 1492. His 1484 bull gave Kramer support for investigating alleged witchcraft.
Witch-hunt: A campaign of accusation and persecution directed at people alleged to practice witchcraft or other wrongdoing. The book became a lasting symbol of organized persecution through witchcraft accusations.
Inquisition: Church institutions and procedures established to investigate and suppress heresy. Its legal procedures and inquisitorial authority shape the book’s advice.
Torture: The deliberate infliction of severe pain, often to punish or coerce information. Its advice addresses coercive interrogation, including the use of torture.

Linked from 4 pages

SuccubusRelated: Its demonology discusses sexual spirits and helped circulate claims about demonic intercourse.