The publication of the 'Malleus Maleficarum' in 1484 marked the beginning of widespread witch hunts in Europe, targeting women perceived to challenge societal norms regarding sexuality and reproduction. This text provided a framework for identifying and prosecuting alleged witches, leading to numerous trials and executions. The witch hunts reflected broader societal anxieties about female autonomy and played a significant role in shaping gender dynamics in early modern Europe.

The witch hunts beginning in 1484 influenced Romantic and Gothic poetry, where themes of female power, fear, and persecution were explored. Poets like Samuel Taylor Coleridge and John Keats reflected on the societal anxieties surrounding femininity and the supernatural.