The
Spanish Inquisition Really Did Occur!
In
1478 when, at the request of the Spanish sovereigns
Ferdinand and Isabella, Pope Sixtus IV (1471-84)
issued a papal bull allowing for the creation of
the Spanish Inquisition. It lasted until it was
"abolished" in 1834, although its most
fervent activity was during the 15th and 16th centuries.
The Spanish Inquisition is the notorious for three
reasons. First, it was more cruel precisely because
it was administered by the secular government. Second,
it was concerned, in large part, with the conversos.
These were Jews who had converted either under duress
or out of social convenience, and were suspected
of secretly practicing the Jewish faith.
Using
the Spanish Inquisition to Attack Jews
In their search
for incriminating evidence against the Jews, the
authors even enlist the support of the Spanish Inquisition.
"More than once, Jews were accused not just of being
Jews but for slave dealing and sometimes for that
alone. The Inquisitors charged subjects for either
crime and frequently Jews were found guilty on both
counts. Slave dealing and slavery and its connection
with Judaism and Jews was offensive to the Spanish
reformers." The Spanish Inquisition brought about
"a reign of terror throughout Europe" which was
responsible for the impoverishment, exile, and death
of countless Jews, Muslims, and "heretical" Christians.
Jews were singled out for persecution because of
their identity as Jews. Concepts of an inquisition
and inquisitorial procedure lie deep in the roots
of world history. Inquisitions were used during
the decline of the Roman Empire until the Spanish
Inquisition's decline in the 19th century. The Inquisitions
in both Spain and Portugal were run by both civil
and church authorities in order to root out non-believers
from a nation or religion.
Summary
of the Inquisition
The Spanish Inquisition was
used for both political and religious reasons. Spain
is a nation-state that was born out of religious
struggle between numerous different belief systems.
Following the Crusades and the Reconquest of Spain
by the Christian Spaniards the leaders of Spain
needed a way to unify the country into a strong
nation.
Ferdinand
and Isabella chose Catholicism to unite Spain and
in 1478 asked permission of the pope to begin the
Spanish Inquisition to purify the people of Spain.
They began by driving out Jews and other non-believers.
In 1483 Tomas de Torquemada became the inquisitor-general
for most of Spain. He was responsible for establishing
the rules of inquisitorial procedure and creating
branches of the Inquisition in various cities. He
remained the leader of the Spanish Inquisition for
fifteen years and was responsible for the execution
of thousands of Spaniards.
The
Inquisition was run procedurally by the inquisitor-general
who established local tribunals of the Inquisition.
Accused heretics were identified by the general
population and brought before the tribunal. The
were given a chance to confess their heresy against
the Catholic Church and were also encouraged to
indict other heretics. If they admitted their wrongs
and turned in other aggressors against the church
they were either released or sentenced to a prison
penalty. If they would not admit their heresy or
indict others the accused were publicly introduced
in a large ceremony before they were publicly killed
or sentenced to a life in prison.
The Spanish Inquisition's
reign of terror was abolished by King Bonaparte
in 1834, but it wasn't until January of 1968 when
the files of the Office of the Inquisition at the
Vatican were closed.