Page 41 - All About History - Issue 26-15
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Bluffer’s Guide
THE SPANISH INQUISITION
What was it?
The Spanish inquisition was a tool used by the
Catholic monarchs of Spain to suppress heresy
among the church. The inquisition was mainly aimed
at recently converted Jews, as well as Muslim converts.
The accused would be tried at a court, or tribunal, which
would travel around the country. Those accused of heresy
never knew the identity of their accusers and the only
assistance they received was a defence council who would
simply encourage them to confess. It was also rare that
they would have witnesses to testify on their behalf, as
doing so would incriminate the witnesses themselves.
The main point of the trial was to obtain a confession,
and the inquisition would even use torture to guarantee
this. However, it is now believed torture was not used as
much as is commonly supposed. Once found guilty, the
accused could be sentenced to anything from a fine to a
public burning at the stake. Records disagree on
the figures, but it is estimated that up to
people were charged by the inquisition,
between 2,000 and 5,000 were execute
Why did it
happen?
Medieval Spain had been, for
a good stretch of time, a multiracial
and multi-religious country. However,
towards the end of the 14th century
animosity towards the Jewish
The inquisition was known to
population began to grow. This use torture instruments such
pushed many Jews to convert to as thumbscrews to extract
Christianity to escape persecution; confessions from conversos
they became known as conversos. Many conversos rose
through the ranks of government and nobility, and gained
great wealth. This sparked jealousy among Christians
who doubted the sincerity of their conversions. In
response, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II pressed for
a papal bill to set up the inquisition. Its aim would be to
investigate conversos believed to be continuing Jewish
worship. The idea was to create religious unity, but had
the added bonus of bringing in cash, as the government
confiscated the property of those found guilty.
Who was there?
Pope Sixtus IV
1414-1484
Sixtus was the pope who issued the papal
bill that allowed the inquisition, a move he
would later come to regret.
Tomás de Torquemada
1420-1498
Torquemada was the first Grand Inquisitor
1609 1834
of the Spanish Inquisition, despite the fact
that he himself had converso ancestors.
Philip III of Spain The Spanish
issues the decree to Inquisition is
expel the Moriscos formally abolished Isabella I of Castille
– Muslims who by regent Maria 1451-1504
recently converted Christina during the Isabella along with her husband Ferdinand
to Christianity – reign of Isabella II.
from the country. II established the Spanish Inquisition in © Alamy
response to the public anger against Jews.
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