After reading the article, "Portrait of a Monster" by Pedro Manchego, I began to wonder when and why the famous witch hunts of the early modern period got their rise. This question befell me while reading about the punishment of the witch portrayed in the article. Though in modern times, we know that the thought of witches is merely make-believe, during the early modern period witchcraft was seen as a very real problem, that resulted in very real punishments such as being burned at the stake.
The first evidence of witch hunting arose in the famous text Malleus Maleficarum ("The Hammer of Witches"). This book was written in 1486 and described standards for identification, interrogation, and conviction of witches (malleusmaleficarum.org). The reasoning behind the start of the witchcraft craze has many theories, two of which include, a way to better spread Christianity and a scapegoat for all the evils of the world (departments.kings.edu). Both of these arguments have much support, as do the many other theories, which means that there is no true way to be certain about the rise of the witchcraft persecutions.
If you are interested inn learning more about the rise of the witch hunts here are some links you can check out:
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