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The Malleus Maleficarum

Why were women the most persecuted so heavily in witchcraft? Almost all the victims

charged with witchcraft in Middle Ages were female. Several historians admit that there are no

reasons how the sorcery started or why it targeted women. Women were more likely to be

executed for witchcraft than men were. The witches’ hammer is certainly the best-known book

on witchcraft from the Middle Ages. Printed in1486, the work, assisted in propagating the new

start of magic and wizardry that is currently recognized as Satanism, and because of that, it acted

as a significant role in the brutal efforts to end witchcraft. The Malleus Maleficarum therefore,

was the hammer to be utilized to crash the plot of wizards that intimidated Christianity. The book

has three main parts. The first one tries to demonstrate against the disbelief on the part of

worshipers and some priests and the truth about sorcery. There are guidelines provided in this

part for the right method of preaching about sorcery. This was because they wanted to prove to

the church that sorcery existed

The second part is not very clear, which deals with the processes of the magicians and the

techniques to eradicate the witches. In one section, it specified that some matters were provided

to be preached; however, at another point, it shows that some issues could not be preached. The

third part appears to have a separate role. It presents the techniques of detecting and prosecuting

unorthodox witches. This is illustrated in the introductory paragraph addressed to both church

and profane judges for their practical use. As a result, the general function of the work is to show
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the understanding regarding witchcraft held by investigators, in contrast to the disagreement of

indefinite critics both nonbelievers and church. The work tries to demonstrate the truth about

sorcery, explains their practices, and presents the method of eradicating the practices through

their condemnation in court and execution. This general concept can be understood from the title

of the work.

A papal bull is a certified letter delivered by the pope and valid with a distinct seal. Pope

Innocent VIII issued the bull for the inquisitors to use as a certification against resistance as they

were exercising the office of the investigator. Anybody who questioned the authenticity of

Catholic faith did so at his or her own danger. The book represented an essential part in

explaining such orthodox law into being, as repeatedly the charge of unorthodoxy carried on with

its uncertainties of sorcery. The book is a writing of its time when Science was new to make any

factual developments. During that time, approximately any mysterious disease or condition

would frequently be ascribed to sorcerous, and therefore, the action of magicians.

Power and church control were among other issues that were addressed. One way that

Christianity could strengthen the church was through eradication and of misbelievers and the

seizure of the victim's belongings. It was only the Inquisition members, state treasury and the

church officials who were allowed to hold the confiscated properties. The confiscation of the

doomed person's belongings was grounded on outdated laws that were used in England,

Germany, and France. If the Inquisitors realized that a dead person might have been a

misbeliever, they could dig the body and burn it, and his or her property was then seized. As a

result, many women and children were left poor. In addition, the families of the victims suffered

as their properties catered for the trial and execution costs if the value of confiscated property

was not enough. Many people, especially the innocent victims died in this process.