Humanism

Contrary to common opinion, the witch-hunt took massive shape is not in the Middle Ages, but only shortly before the Age of Discovery, almost simultaneously with the discovery of America by Columbus. That's when the traditional does not change the way of life for centuries in Western Europe broke new civilizations, unseen animals, distant mysterious country. Unable to deal with the advent of a new outside, traditional society has brought down all their fury on those people who are different from the accepted standard - beauty or ugliness, intelligence or stupidity, wealth or poverty. The church is only skillfully directed the People's fear, turning it on its own enemies.

Ironically, any witch-hunt, with no way of examples gloomy centuries of the Inquisition, and to this day the story has gained plenty requires all signs law developed judicial system and even the appearance of a full agreement with the voice of the people. The Catholic Church was the church militant, but punishing for so long was not, I did not even have the legal right to ensure that self-execute Malefic, ie witches and wizards, and had to bring them to a secular court, which, not having sufficient evidence of criminal acts villains often treated them very loyal.

But apart from the creation of the legal framework, the circumstances demanded from the church and much more complex logic exercises .  It consisted of none other than, as in the proof of the existence of witches .  And to prove this fact needed so as not to drop the authority of the Church Fathers with Blessed Augustine led, which at the time did not recognize any of folk magic, no levitation, or even the possibility of human intercourse with the devil, and the appearance of the fruits of this co-existence .  From predicament church went brilliantly, creating even for its intricate objectives of a science - scholasticism, with the help of which and began aggressively to convince illiterate polls the public of the existence of demons descended from cohabitation of man with the devil, and the mischievous witches who, in collusion with Lucifer ruining people bring women infertility, and men - impotence, induce damage to crops and livestock, as well as honorable citizens of various poison poisons .

Inexperienced in scholasticism, Europeans could not do anything to stop ravings filling the churches and squares, palaces and hovels .  Fears mysterious powers wizards have grown in panic fear of acquaintances, neighbors, and a counter - any one of them could prove to be a servant of the devil speak, evil eye, to restore damage .  The devil has become a reality and could be hiding close .  Superstitious terror became the cause of a mass psychosis, many actually believed that the demon possessed or possess magical powers, others could not resist the temptation to escape into the magical world of insecurity and unpredictability of life, use at least once magical ointments and potions from which so persistently warned preachers and they are described in such detail .  A wave of hysteria swept the individual healers and witch .  With the force multiplied repeatedly returned to the church superstition generated by herself, and she was acting only to suppress freethinkers, was facing a powerful enemy, who once challenged God Himself, and now threatens to sweep away the land of his associates .

The Bishop of Lausanne, making sure that with the help of the devil wizards and sorcerers have turned many people into worms, locusts, frogs, beetles, etc. .  d . Which caused a lot of harm neighboring peasants, thrice treated episcopal with words and persuasion and threats to this terrible parasites, demanding that they be brought to the court in Viflisburge - in person or by proxy .  Locusts and worms filed, but the case against Bishop .  He was given a defender, but the Bishop won the case, and in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit Lausanne worms were forever cursed .  But the power of the devil was so great that not even a bishop helped a curse: a year in Lausanne suffered the same misfortune - to the great shame of the church, were weaker than the devil .  Worms and Archbishop Adelbert had to confirm the weakness of the Church in its struggle with the devil: in the days of Easter 1065 g .  Archbishop cured one patient, but the devil did not want to reckon with, and the patient died .

In order not to depend on the secular courts, church, largely subordinated to the state, established a new church and a police institution - Inquisition, which, despite the funds was intended to deal with the renegades, who are not influenced by any reasons of scholastic theology nor moral exhortations.
  However, despite all the machinations of the devil, the first 60-70 years of its existence, the Holy Inquisition continued to fight heresy and only with heresy. Only in the middle of the XIII century, Thomas Aquinas set the view that the devil's magic can be equated and witches to heretics.

The Inquisition in France, seek to destroy the last vestiges of heretical sects, took note of this idea - and started as an accusation of heresy and sorcery .  When heretics were finally done some continued persecution of witches; Thus, the processes of witches thrived in France to 1390 g .  But then they went on the decline, can not be said about Germany .  There's severe persecution of witches began only in 1448, when two Dominican, Jacob Sprenger and Heinrich Institor received from Pope Innocent VIII bull "summis desiderantes", empower them to pursue and eradicate witches .  The last of this couple became famous in his time that hired a woman who was hiding in an oven, and a key moment in the questioning witch to cast the votes, representing the devil slandered so many innocent defendants .  For this and similar tricks Bishop Bliksensky sent Institoris from the field, but after co-authored with Sprenger Institoris written guide for recognizing, exposure and punishment of witches and sorcerers called "Hammer of Witches" for him, however, established the glory Human unusually honest, wise and versed in demonology .