A Web of Demons

This introductory chapter makes three related points about the nature of early modern demonology. First, the chapter argues that many scholars were forced to discern the truth behind witchcraft accusations at second hand, from the safety and comfort of their study. Second, it argues for the apparent novelty of demonology as a field of knowledge in the late sixteenth century. Third, it suggests that this sense of distance and apparent novelty contributed to its appeal among early modern elites. While not denying its deadly intent, the entertainment value of early modern demonology must also not be ignored. The origins of the Disquisitiones as a course taught at the Leuven Jesuit College must be placed within this wider context, while its print history further bears out its particular appeal.