Spanish Inquisition

The seal of the Spanish Inquisition depicts the cross, the branch and the sword.

The Spanish Inquisition or Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition was a tribunal formed in 1478 in Spain. Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile requested a Papal bull to create the tribunal, with the assistance of Tomás de Torquemada.

During the Spanish Inquisition, many people were burnt to death in front of crowds on the streets. Using infamously brutal means, the Spanish Inquisition stabilized power in the monarchy of the newly unified Spanish kingdom.

Background

The burning of heretics at stakes (auto-da-fé) in a marketplace during the Spanish Inquisition.

The rulers of Spain asked the Pope to start the Inquisition to hunt for Jews who converted to Catholic Christianity but were accused (often falsely) of being disloyal to their Christian faith.

In 1492, they demanded that all morisco leave Spain. Many left, but many stayed and claimed to be Christians. The Inquisition became busy deciding which ones were truthful. In 1502, the Muslims were also ordered out. Some parts of Spain actually enforced this order. When Protestants appeared, the Inquisition said they were faking as Christians.

Approximately 150,000 people were prosecuted during the centuries of the Spanish Inquisition. Most trials ended with the defendant giving up his beliefs and being let go. About 3000-5000 were executed. The Inquisition became less active in later years and was completely abolished in 1834.

Denial

The Vatican

In 2004, the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) published findings that the judges of the Inquisition were "not as brutal as previously believed". The RCC also denied that most trials were carried out by Catholic courts, while claiming that the victims put on trial were often "tortured for only 15 minutes in the presence of doctors".

Spain

Movements within Spain have emerged to rewrite the history of the Spanish Inquisition. Members of the movements released a series of books, films, TV programs and mobile exhibitions to beautify the Inquisition-associated Spanish history.

References

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    • Jacobs, Janet Liebman (2002). "Introduction: Crypto-Jewish Descent: An Ethnographic Study in Historical Perspective". Hidden Heritage: The Legacy of the Crypto-Jews (1 ed.). University of California Press. pp. 1–20. doi:10.1525/california/9780520233461.003.0001. ISBN 978-0-520-23346-1. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
    • Egmond, Florike; Zwijnenberg, Robert (2003). "Physicians' and Inquisitors' Stories? Circumcision and Crypto-Judaism in Sixteenth–Eighteenth-Century Spain". Bodily Extremities (1 ed.). Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315261447. ISBN 9781315261447. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
    • Ward, Seth (2004). "Crypto-Judaism and the Spanish Inquisition (review)". Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies. 22 (4). University of Nebraska Press: 167–169. doi:10.1353/sho.2004.0117. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
    • Bodian, Miriam (2007). Dying in the Law of Moses: Crypto-Jewish Martyrdom in the Iberian World. Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253348616. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
    • Kamen, Henry (May 27, 2014). The Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300180510. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
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  4. 1 2 3 Jones, Sam (April 29, 2018). "Spain fights to dispel legend of Inquisition and imperial atrocities". The Guardian. Retrieved December 24, 2024. Campaigners want to reclaim the country's past from 'distorted propaganda'