What was witchcraft? Were witches real? How should witches be identified? How should they be judged? Towards the end of the middle ages these were new questions, without answers hallowed by time and authority. Between 1430 and 1500, a number of learned "witch-theorists" attempted to provide the answers, and of these perhaps the most famous are the Dominican inquisitors Heinrich Institoris and Jacob Sprenger, the authors of the Malleus Maleficarum, The Hammer of Witches. This, the first book-length study of the Malleus in English, provides students and scholars with an introduction to this text and to the conceptual world of its authors. Ultimately, this book argues that although the Malleus was a highly idiosyncratic text, with a view of witches very different from that of competing authors, its arguments were powerfully compelling and so remained influential long after alternatives were forgotten.

This title offers a new translation of the medieval treatise on witchcraft, the Malleus Maleficarum, by the Dominican inquisitor Heinrich Institoris.

This volume of 15 interdisciplinary essays is based on papers given at a conference at Duke University in 1998. Focusing on the territories of the Holy Roman Empire from the early Reformation to the mid-eighteenth century, the volume examines some of the structures, practices and media of communication that helped shape the social, cultural, and political history of the period.

Over 170 contributors from 28 nations provide vivid, documented descriptions and analyses of witchcraft trials and locations, folklore and beliefs, magical practices and deities, influential texts, and the full range of players in this extraordinary drama, witchcraft theorists and theologians; historians and authors; judges, clergy, and rulers; the accused; and their persecutors. Concentrating on Europe and the Americas in the early modern era, the work also covers relevant topics from the ancient Near East (including the Hebrew and Christian Bibles), classical antiquity, and the European Middle Ages.

In 1636, residents at the convent of Santa Chiara in Carpi in northern Italy were struck by an extraordinary illness that provoked bizarre behavior. Eventually numbering fourteen, the afflicted nuns were subject to screaming fits, throwing themselves on the floor, and falling abruptly into a deep sleep. When medical experts' cures proved ineffective, exorcists ministered to the women and concluded that they were possessed by demons and the victims of witchcraft. Catering to women from elite families, the nunnery suffered much turmoil for three years and, remarkably, three of the victims died from their ills. A maverick nun and a former confessor were widely suspected to be responsible, through witchcraft, for these woes. Based primarily on the exhaustive investigation by the Inquisition of Modena, The Scourge of Demons examines this fascinating case in its historical context. The travails of Santa Chiara occurred at a time when Europe witnessed peaks in both witch-hunting and in the numbers of people reputedly possessed by demons. Female religious figures appeared particularly prone to demonic attacks, and Counter-Reformation Church authorities were especially interested in imposing stricter discipline on convents. Watt carefully considers how the nuns of Santa Chiara understood and experienced alleged possession and witchcraft, concluding that Santa Chiara's diabolical troubles and their denouement -- involving the actions of nuns, confessors, inquisitorial authorities, and exorcists -- were profoundly shaped by the unique confluence of religious, cultural, judicial, and intellectual trends that flourished in the 1630s. Jeffrey R. Watt is professor of history at the University of Mississippi.

The European World 1500-1800 provides a concise and authoritative textbook for the centuries between the Renaissance and the French Revolution. It presents early modern Europe not as a mere transition phase, but a dynamic period worth studying in its own right. Written by an experienced team of specialists, associated with a university module of the same name, it offers a student-friendly introduction to all major themes and processes of early modern history. Structured in four parts dealing with socio-economic, religious, cultural and political issues, it adopts a broad geographical perspective: Western and Central Europe receive particular attention, but dedicated chapters also explore the wider global context. Thematic priorities include social structures, Reformation change, expanding cultural horizons and the emergence of the modern state. Specially designed to assist learning, The European World 1500-1800 features: up-to-date surveys of key topics written by an international team of historians suggestions for seminar discussion and further reading extracts from primary sources and vivid illustrations, including maps a glossary of key terms and concepts a chronology of major events a full index of persons, places and subjects a fully-featured companion website accessible at www.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415432535. The European World 1500-1800 will be essential reading for all students embarking on the discovery of the early modern period.

Extensive bibliography on demonology and witchcraft systematically describing all materials -including books, monographs, conference reports and doctoral dissertations- covering these subjects subjects from the 15th century to the 21st century. 5000 entries and indices on author, subject and anonymous works. 320 b/w illustrations of title-pages.