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Spanish Inquisition

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The Spanish Inquisition was a legally constituted court founded under Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile in 1478 to suppress heresies within the Catholic Church. After concerted efforts to induce Jews and Muslims to accept Christianity - through social and economic pressure and also through special events such as the Disputation of Tortosa in 1413 - it became apparent to the Spanish monarchy that many of the "converted" remained loyal to their pre-conversion traditions and practices. The Inquisition was formulated, primarily under control of the Spanish monarch, as a means of identifying and punishing such converts.

File:Inquisition2.jpg
Pedro Berruguete. Saint Dominic Presiding over an Auto-da-fe (1475).
Most artistic representations depict torture and the burning at the stake as occurring during the auto de fe. The painting is inaccurate: even though burning at the stake occurred at other times, it never took place during the rituals.

In the history of the Catholic Inquisition, the Spanish Inquisition is especially well-known, particularly in the nature of the auto de fe, or trials, of converted Muslims, Jews, and Illuminists. This Inquisition also gave rise to the Peruvian Inquisition and the Mexican Inquisition, which continued until those countries split off from Spain.

The Inquisition was removed during Napoleonic rule (1808–1812), but reinstituted when Ferdinand VII of Spain recovered the throne. It was officially ended on 15 July 1834. Schoolmaster Cayetano Ripoli, garroted to death in Valencia on July 26 1826 (allegedly for teaching Deist principles), was the last person executed by the Spanish Inquisition.


Origin

There were many motivations for Ferdinand to create the Inquisition. Spain, historically an area with disparate religious traditions and ethnic groups, needed a common religion - Catholicism - if it was to have a sense of unity. Ferdinand was particularly concerned with false converts to Catholicism who often remained loyal to the rule of Islam during the final years of Reconquista, and the Inquisition, which had no jurisdiction over non-Catholics, was his method of identifying them. Also, many historians believe the Spanish Inquisition was instituted as a way of weakening Ferdinand's primary political opposition at home. It is also possible, but not likely, that there was a financial motivation: Jewish financiers had lent Ferdinand's father many of the funds which he had used to pursue the alliance by marriage with Castile, and many of these debts would be wiped if the noteholder were condemned in court. Other historians point out that because the Inquisition had no jurisdiction over Jews or Muslims, imputing this motive to Ferdinand is tendentious.

 
The Spanish Inquisition burning books they didn't approve of, on a Spanish painting from the 1400s.

Ferdinand's main aim was to consolidate the independent realms that he had gained by his marriage to Isabella into a single state to be left to his heir. Ferdinand was an astute politician, and developed close ties with St. Peter's in Rome as part of his political manoeuvering. However, he did not want the Pope to control the Inquisition in Spain, as he was jealous of any other power within his borders.

The Pope did not want the Inquisition established in Spain at all, but Ferdinand insisted. He prevailed upon Rodrigo Borgia, then Bishop of Valencia and the Papal Vice-Chancellor as well as a cardinal, to lobby Rome on his behalf. Borgia was partially successful, as Pope Sixtus IV sanctioned the Inquisition only in the state of Castile. Later, Borgia was to have Spain's support for his own papacy as Pope Alexander VI.

Sixtus IV was Pope when the Spanish Inquisition was instituted in Seville. He worked against it, but bowed to pressure from Ferdinand, who threatened to withhold military support from his kingdom of Sicily. Sixtus issued a papal Bull establishing the order in 1478. Nevertheless, Sixtus was unhappy with the excesses of the Inquisition and took measures to suppress their abuses.

The Pope disapproved of the extreme measures being taken by Ferdinand, and categorically disallowed their spread to the kingdom of Aragon. He alleged that the Inquisition was a cynical ploy by Ferdinand and Isabella to confiscate the Jews' property. Despite his title of "Most Catholic King", and his ongoing attempts to woo the Pope to his side politically, Ferdinand continued to resist direct Papal influence in his lands. He decided to use strong-arm tactics against the Pope.

Ferdinand had some important levers he could use to bend the Pope to his will. Venice, traditionally the defender against the Turks in the East, was greatly weakened after a protracted war which lasted from 1463 to 1479. The Turks had taken possession of Greece and the Greek islands. France, as always, was looking for signs of weakness which it could use to its advantage. And in the midst of all these threats, in August of 1480 the Sultan of Turkey had attacked Italy itself, at the port of Otranto, with several thousand janissaries who pillaged the countryside for three days, largely unopposed.

Under these conditions, Ferdinand's position in Sicily — he was king of Sicily as well as Aragon and several other kingdoms — gave him the leverage he needed. He threatened to withhold military support for the Holy See, and the Pope relented.

Sixtus then blessed the royal institution of the Spanish Inquisition. Ferdinand had won everything he sought: the Inquisition was under his sole control, but had the blessing of the Pope.

The persecution and then expulsion of the Muslims

see also Al Andulus

In 1212 Muhammad An-Nasir who was not experienced in either administration or warfare, collected an army of 600,000 men from Andulus and North Africa to repulse another cursed instigated by Pope Innocent III. Muhammed An-Nasir ignored the advice of his skilled and experienced generals. Only a few thousand muslims escaped the famouse battle of Las Navas.This was the beginning of the persecution and expulsion of the muslims by the trinitarian christians.

The conquest of Ubeda in 1212 sets the stage for the next 600 years. After the capitulation , Alfonso IX found 70,000 muslims living there. They offered to pay a ransom, in return to being allowed to live in peace. Alfonso agreed. The Roman catholic church persuaded him to break his promise. All the muslims of Ubeda were massacred, except those who were selected to be slaves.

Cordoba fell in 1236, Valencia in 1238, Seville in 1248. BY mid 13th century the trinitarians has conquered all of spain, with the exception of Granada.

The Mudéjar of Northern Spain This was the first phase, with the reduction of the muslims to slaves , stripped of their way of life. The muslims were valuable resources, hard working, skilled workers.

in 1216 the Lateran Council decreed that a distinctive garment and a badge should be worn by the jews and the muslims. The garment came to be known as the san benito.

in 1248 , Pope Innocent IV ordered the king of Aragon, 'to permit no Moors save as slaves'.

in 1250 it was decreed that no one could buy or sell anything to the Muslims unless he had first obtained a license to do so.

The council of Vienna ordered the princes of Spain to supress the worship of the Muslims and to give them the alternative of either accepting Christianity or else to 'endure a punishment which would render them a terrible example. H.C.Lea the moriscos of spain p9

The council of Tarragona in 1329, ordered all the princess to follow the resolution, adopted by the council of vienna within 2 months under pain of excommunication and interdict.

in 1388 it was decreed that all Muslims should kneel down when the Trinitarian Churchs' sacraments ' were being carried through the streets.

in 1412 the following was decreed It was decreed that Jews and Moors should wear distinguishing badges, be deprived of the right to hold office or possess titles, and should not change their domicile. In addition they were excluded from various trades such as those of grocer, carpenters, tailors and butchers; could not bear arms or hire Christians to work for them; were not allowed to eat, drink, bathe or even talk with Christians, and were forbidden to wear any but coarse clothes' H.Kamen,the spanish inquisition p18

In 1483 the spanish inquisition came into being, and now that the muslims and jews had been reduced to watched slaves living in the juderias and morerias, the inquisition could begin


The expulsion of the Jews

aileen fuck three guysat the se time

Operation of the Inquisition

File:Homosexuality Spanish Inquisition.jpg
This picture is described as displaying Roman Catholic Church officials presiding over the torture of a man during the Spanish Inquisition.

Sixtus IV died in 1484, and was succeeded by Pope Innocent VIII. Innocent twice issued bulls asking for greater mercy and leniency for the conversos. He ordered all Catholic monarchs to extradite fleeing Jews back to Spain where they could stand trial.

The Inquisition was a religious court operated by Church authorities, but in contrast to other Inquisitions it did so under the supervision of the Spanish crown. If a person was found to be heretical, they were turned over ("relaxed") to the secular authorities to be punished, since "the Church does not shed blood". Torture was often used to gain confessions. Punishments ranged from public shame (dressing in the sambenito) to burning at the stake. Burning at the stake was carried out after death by garroting (strangulation) for those who repented; burning alive was for the unrepentant; and in effigy for those condemned in absentia. These punishments were conducted in public ceremonies called auto de fe that could last a whole day. The clerical members of the tribunal were assisted by civilians (familiares). The office of familiar of the Inquisition was very prestigious.

Many people made such accusations out of revenge, or to gain rewards from the Crown. The Crown itself may have been behind some of the allegations, in the desire to appropriate wealthy Conversos' lands, property and valuables.

The Inquisition was also used against focuses of early Protestantism, Erasmism and Illuminism and in the 18th century against Encyclopedism and French Enlightenment. In spite of the actions of the other European Inquisitions, witchcraft was a bigger concern for the Spanish people than for the Inquisition. Accused witches were usually dismissed as mentally ill.

Freemasonry

In 1815, Francisco Xavier de Mier y Campillo, the Inquisitor General of Spanish Inquisition and Bishop of Almería, suppressed Freemasonry and denounced the lodges as “societies which lead to sedition, to independence, and to all errors and crimes.”[1] He then instituted a purge during which Spaniards could be arrested on the charge of being “suspected of Freemasonry”.[1]

Torture techniques used

Torquemada documented some of his techniques. A favorite was tortura del'agua (water torture), in which the victim was strapped to a rack, his mouth forced open with a rag, and water was then forced down the throat so that the victim felt he was drowning. In another technique, the garrucha, the victim's hands were tied behind his back at the wrists; the victim was then lifted off the ground by the wrists. The strappado was used in Italy - for example, in the torture of Savonarola. The use of torture during the repression of the Templars was severe enough to cause the death of many of them. The 'Spanish chair', a device used to hold the victim while the soles of their feet were roasted, was certainly in existence in Spain during the period of the Inquisition. It is uncertain, however, whether it was actually used by the Inquisition.

Myths about the Inquisition have developed and have been investigated by Edward Peters and Henry Kamen, among others. It is possible that the amount of torture used has been exaggerated. Some of the torture methods attributed to the Spanish Inquisition were never used. For example, the "Iron Maiden" never existed in Spain, and was a post-Reformation invention of Germany. Thumbscrews on display in an English museum as Spanish were only recently attributed to their true origin: William Cecil's persecution of Catholics during Elizabeth I's reign.[citation needed]

At the same time, the use of torture was routine to such an extent that the absence of its mention in any given case cannot be seen as evidence for its lack; the assertion that "confessionem esse veram, non factam vi tormentorum" (the confession was true and free) sometimes follows a description of how, presently after torture ended, the subject freely confessed to his offenses [1].

Death tolls

Some statistics of large death tolls are given by historians such as Will Durant, who, in The Reformation (1957), cites Juan Antonio Llorente, General Secretary of the Inquisition from 1789 to 1801, as estimating that 31,912 people were executed from 1480-1808. He also cites Hernando de Pulgar, a secretary to Queen Isabella, as estimating 2,000 people were burned before 1490. Philip Schaff in his History of the Christian Church gave a number of 8,800 people burned in the 18 years of Torquemada. Matthew White, in reviewing these and other figures, gives a median number of deaths at 32,000, with around 9,000 under Torquemada [2]. R. J. Rummel describes similar figures as "most realistic," though he cites some historians who give figures of up to 135,000 people killed under Torquemada. This number includes 125,000 who are claimed to have died in prison due to poor conditions, leaving 10,000 sentenced to death. (Death rates in medieval and early modern prisons were generally very high, thanks in part to inadequate sanitary conditions and a poor diet.)

The Spanish Inquisition maintained extensive records that are now being sifted through by historians. They paint a very different picture of sentencing patterns to traditional historians, although, like any historical document their accuracy can be disputed. Geoffrey Parker analyzed 49,000 trial records between 1540 and 1700, representing one third of the total, and found 776 executions. This suggests a total of about 2,250 in the period reviewed. Earlier records are less well preserved but do not support the usual picture of a bloodbath. In The Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision, Henry Kamen does not believe more than a thousand executions took place in the earlier period (p. 60). However, he points out that the Inquisitors' activities were heavily slanted towards Jewish and Muslim communities who would have suffered far more than most from their activities. Recent work, sponsored by the Catholic Church, also points to a significantly lower death toll. Professor Agostino Borromeo, an historian of Catholicism at the Sapienza University in Rome, writes that about 125,000 people were tried by church tribunals as suspected heretics in Spain. Of these, about 1,200 - 2,000 were actually executed, although more killings were performed by non-church tribunals.

Some historians and Spanish scholars suggest that the death toll has been exaggerated over time as part of the anti-Spanish Black Legend.

The Spanish Inquisition in the arts

The Spanish Inquisition has often been represented in art, literature, movies, and television:

See also

References

  1. ^ a b William R. Denslow, Harry S. Truman: 10,000 Famous Freemasons, ISBN 1-4179-7579-2
  • Henry Kamen, The Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision. (Yale University Press, 1999). ISBN 0300078803
—This revised edition of his 1965 original contributes to the understanding of the Spanish Inquisition in its local context.
  • Henry Charles Lea, A History of the Inquisition of Spain (4 volumes), (New York and London, 1906-1907)
  • Simon Whitechapel, Flesh Inferno: Atrocities of Torquemada and the Spanish Inquisition (Creation Books, 2003). ISBN 1840681055
  • B. Netanyahu, The Origins of the Inquisition in Fifteenth-Century Spain, (New York : New York Review Books, 2001). ISBN 0940322390
  • Miranda Twiss, The Most Evil Men And Women In History (Michael O'Mara Books Ltd., 2002). ISBN 1-85479-488-4
  • Geoffrey Parker “Some Recent Work on the Inquisition in Spain and Italy” Journal of Modern History 54:3 1982
  • Warrenn Carroll, "Isabel: the Catholic Queen" Front Royal, Virginia, 1991 (Christendom Press) 385 pp., ASIN: 0931888433
  • Joseph de Maistre, Letters on the Spanish Inquisition (1822, composed 1815):— late defense of the Inquisition by the principal author of the Counter-Enlightenment.
  • Myths of the Spanish Inquisition (Television Documentary produced by the BBC) 1994 BBC/A&E
  • Ludwig von Pastor, History of the Popes from the Close of the Middle Ages; Drawn from the Secret Archives of the Vatican and other original sources, 40 vols. St. Louis, B.Herder 1898 - [3]
  • Ahmad Thomson, Islam in Andalus ta-ha publishers ltd ISBN 1897940521

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