James Sprenger was born in Basel between 1436 and 1438. He was admitted as a novice in the Dominican house of this town in 1452. He became a zealous reformer within the Order. Later he became a Master of Theology and then Dean of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Cologne. In 1480 he was appointed dean of the Faculty of Theology at the University. His lecture room was thronged and the following year he was appointed Inquisitor Extraordinary for the Provinces of Mainz, Trèves, and Cologne. His activities in this post demanded constant travelling through the very extensive district.It was said that his piety and learning impressed all who came in contact with him. In 1486 he collaborated with Heinrich Kramer to write the Malleus Maleficarum. He died suddenly in 1494.