Johann Wier: Debating the Devil and Witches in Early Modern Europe

Description: This book deals with a fascinating and original claim in 16th-century Europe. Witches should be cured, not executed.

Brief description: Michaela Valente (Ph.D. 2000) is Professore Associato of Early Modern History at Università del Molise and since 2021 at "La Sapienza", Università di Roma. She has published essays and books on Jean Bodin, on the demonological debate, and on the Roman Inquisition.

Review Quotes: "This concise and yet broad-ranging study is a very welcome contribution to historiography of the European witch-hunts as well as to the history of science, no small undertaking, requiring both encyclopedic knowledge and strong synthesis. [...] The notes alone offer a detailed mapping of scholarship on witchcraft and medicine making this book an excellent resource for readers across the disciplines."
- Virginia Krause, Renaissance and Reformation, Vol. 45, No. 2

"[...] I can say that the author certainly and convincingly managed to achieve her goal: to describe the view of Johannes Wier on witches, to clarify his context and to describe his long-term influence. Valente proffers clear and very accessible insights into the background, contents, context and reception of Wier's position as he laid it down in various works. Valente's book is an important contribution to early modern studies [...]"
- Herman Selderhuis, The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Vol. 74, Iss. 1