Tarihin lamarin maita ya kasance mara kyau a Turai, saboda yana da alaƙa da haɗa baki da aljanu don cutar da wasu. Wannan imani ya haifar da shara'oin maita da farautarsu, musamman a tsakanin ƙarni na 15 zuwa 18, wanda ya haifar da dubun dubatar kisa a yankunan da ɗarikun Kiristoci na Katolika da Furotesta ke da rinjaye. Galibin waɗanda ake tuhumar mata ne, ko da yake mazan ma ana tsananta musu. A tsakiyar Turai, ana tunanin "mayu" suna amfani da "maleficium" (baƙin sihiri) don sanya cuta a jikin mutane. Cocin Katolika ta danganta maita da amfani da aljanu, wanda ya kai ga gasgata cewa mayu masu bautar Iblis ne.
Abubuwan da suka faru kamar Annobar Baƙar mutuwa (black death) da rikice-rikicen addini sun haifar da tashin hankali, kuma sun ba da gudummawa ga tsananin farautar mayu, musamman tsakanin 1580 zuwa 1630. Yawancin zarge-zargen sun dogara ne a kan jita-jita, kuma ana yawan azabtar da waɗanda ake tuhuma don tilasta su amsa laif. Alƙaluma sun nuna an kashe mutane 40,000 zuwa 100,000 bisa zargin laifin maita a faɗin Turai.
Yayin da farautar mayu ta faru a duka yankunan Katolika da Furotesta, tsananin ya bambanta tsakanin yanki zuwa yanki. Lamarin ya fi ƙazanta a ƙasashen Jamus, Faransa, Switzerland. Kimanin kashi 75% zuwa 85% na waɗanda ake zargi mata ne. Duk da haka, akwai wasu yankuna da mafi yawan adadin maza abin ya fi shafa.
Mutum na ƙarshe da aka yanke wa hukuncin maita a Turai shi ne Anna Göldi a Switzerland a 1782, bayan an kashe shi, an wanke shi daga tuhumar a hukumance a shekara ta 2008, tare da amincewa da hukuncin kisan da aka yi masa a matsayin rashin adalci.