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Gregory IX) to rid Christendom of heretics, beginning with the Albegenses and Wildness.
As time progressed the old ways became confused. Certainly many did retain the true old beliefs but
there were many who retaliated against the Church by believing its Demonic propaganda, and perverting
Christian rituals into ways of cursing others. As the Inquisition spread across Europe, works such as the
Malleus Malleficarum (the Hammer of Witches, published 1486) served two purposes. It created
paranoia amongst the educated and ignorant alike, declaring that witches were a real and dangerous
threat. Secondly it provided a blue-print for those who found the idea of invoking the devil for their own
selfish ends - by believing the Malleus Malleficarum, they merely reinforced it.
Any retaliation against repression by the Church by ignorant peoples merely exacerbated the problem.
Inquisitors used threats of death and torture to gain personal power - anyone who questioned was suspect.
Fear and superstition escalated during the Black Death. It changed the perspective of the Church and
people, creating a much more gloomy and death-orientated culture. People were horrified during the 15th
century that the Church was paralyzed. Clergy refused to visit the houses of the sick, friars refused to
give succor to the dying, and even to perform burial ceremonies. Witch persecutions were at their peak
while people desperately sought some reason for the terrible catastrophe that killed a third of the
population of Europe.
Persecution of Heresy
The powerlessness of the church in the face of death indirectly led to a new spirit of questioning.
People could not understand how God, and God's church, could allow such a terrible affliction to wipe
out whole villages. They sought someone to blame - and many blamed the corruption of the Church. The
Church told them it was punishment for their sins, but many saw that the priests suffered as heavily as
the common-folk, and declared it to be a plague on the Church for its terrible corruption, in Indulgences
and so on.
The Church lashed out by blaming the influence of the Devil. He was acting through witches, who had
made a pact with Him for their protection if they would do his evil work.
The Inquisition escalated to unprecedented heights, using accusations of sexual perversion and witchcraft
to root out 'heretics' - those who challenged or criticized the church. Forced confessions - torture, or the
threat of it (in horrible detail) created fantasies which could not be doubted without fear of accusation of
collusion or heresy. Under torture, victims would say anything to stop the pain. They would be driven so
mad that they would invoke the Devil, the only power they could have over their tormentors.
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