What was the Spanish Inquisition?

The Spanish inquisition was a judicial institution that prevailed in Spain from 1478 to 1834. It was set up through the Catholic church to root out and punish any heresy (religious beliefs that differed from those prevailing at the time, in this instance Catholicism) being practiced in the country. In each region of Spain, tribunals comprising of Catholic officials were set up to perform the functions of the inquisition. This system was aimed at consolidating power and establishing control in the country, but today the reputation of the inquisition is that it was an extremely brutal and turbulent time in Spanish society.

What happened during this time?

The Spanish inquisition is a well-known historical event but for reasons that should not be praised. It marked a period of violence and intolerance. The people working for inquisitions were called inquisitors. They would arrive in a town, and announce their presence to all the townspeople. Any heretics present in the town would be given a chance to confess, and thereby receive punishment which ranged from whipping to pilgrimage and repentance. Any person who was accused of being a heretic was forced to admit to it, and in case they did not voluntarily confess, they would be subject to violent torture and even execution. More often than not, people were victims of false allegations of being a heretic, but there was no formal court procedure or trial and the mere suspicion of being a heretic was enough to enforce severe punishment. Once a person was accused, even if falsely, there was no escaping either torture, imprisonment, or death. So, many people would end up confessing early on, even if they weren’t actual heretics, to say themselves from any severe consequences later on. This shows how much fear and tyranny was present in society at that time.

This period also represented one of xenophobia and parochialism. When the inquisition began, Spain was a very diverse country, both ethically and religiously. Many different communities like the Jews, Muslims and Christians all lived in harmony in the same regions. The objective of the inquisition was to eradicate such people from Spain who did not identify with the Catholic church and its beliefs. For more than 350 years, people who were not Catholics were subject to torture and exile from Spain.

We can clearly draw a comparison here to Nazi Germany under Hitler’s dictatorship, where only white people of the Aryan race were allowed to live in the country while others were deported or killed in cold blood. In both cases the victims were subject to inhumane torture and suffering. Also, the Jewish people were the major victims in both situations. Under the inquisition, Spanish Jews were forced to either convert to Catholicism or leave Spain entirely. Even those who converted, called the ‘Conversos’ were not safe as they were constantly under suspicion of secretly practicing Judaism while using Catholicism as a disguise. Eventually focus shifted to Muslims converting to Christianity to save themselves, called the ‘Moriscos’. In 1609 they were all ordered to leave Spain entirely.

Any punishments to be given were done so in public for everyone to see, and they were called ‘acts of faith’. It was meant to show the public what it means to defy the Catholic church and their beliefs, and why they should not follow any other ideology. In the worst of cases, where there were unrepentant heretics, they would even burn them alive at the stake for all of the public to witness.

Conclusion

Eventually in 1834, the inquisition was put to an end and the Catholic church’s power diminished in Spain. However, we cannot disregard the damage that had been caused in the 350 odd years. Thousands of people were tortured, killed or exiled from their homes in Spain. They were stripped of their land and wealth, and left homeless and poor. Many religious minorities had to flee from Spain, leaving behind their home land and all that they knew, while those that remained faced discrimination and suffering at the hands of the inquisitors. Not only mainland Spain, but even the Spanish territories like those in America had their own smaller inquisitions that took their own tolls (Mexico, Peru). However, as time progressed, so did political thinking, and Spain realized its mistake in introducing such a violent system and removed it. Today, Spain is a tolerant and accepting country with diverse groups of people all living in harmony.