When the POPE declared a war on witchcraft.

A book called "Malleus Maleficarum" dropped in 1486. It said how witchcraft was alive and well and that it needed to be destroyed right away. Now, this book was written by a demonologist, who had a very influential supporter.

The Pope at the time, Pope Innocent VIII, wrote a public statement, which appeared in the book, that essentially gave that demonologist the green light to get rid of witches by any means necessary. And the rest is dark history.

Ya know those witch trials in Salem? Yeah... the roots of that horrible time go right back to this.