Table of Contents
What was the original purpose of the Spanish Inquisition?
The Spanish Inquisition was a judicial institution that lasted between 1478 and 1834. Its ostensible purpose was to combat heresy in Spain, but, in practice, it resulted in consolidating power in the monarchy of the newly unified Spanish kingdom.
Who converted the Spanish to Christianity?
The Spanish conquerors then began the gradual process of converting the Aztecs to Christianity. The question of some curios- ity was why the Aztecs converted. There were three main theories as to why conversion took place.
How did the Spanish Inquisition start?
The Inquisition officially began with Pope Gregory IX (the Papal Inquisition). In 1231, he issued a bull, or decree, that set up a tribunal court system to try heretics and punish them. He chose the Dominican Order, known for being very well-educated and knowledgeable about complex theology, to conduct the Inquisition.
Who was affected by the Spanish Inquisition?
Hundreds of thousands of Spanish Jews, Muslims, and Protestants were forcibly converted, expelled from Spain, or executed. The Inquisition spread into other parts of Europe and the Americas.
Why did Spanish spread Christianity in the Americas?
Much of the expressed goals of the spread of Catholicism was to bring salvation to the souls of the indigenous peoples. The Church and the Crown alike viewed the role and presence of the Church in the Americas as a buffer against the corrupt encomenderos and other European settlers.
Why did the Spanish expel the Jews from Spain?
The Jews’ expulsion had been the pet project of the Spanish Inquisition, headed by Father Tomas de Torquemada. Torquemada believed that as long as the Jews remained in Spain, they would influence the tens of thousands of recent Jewish converts to Christianity to continue practicing Judaism.
Did the Spanish Inquisition originally target Jews?
The Inquisition did not originate in Spain and did not originally target Jews. In the 1200s, the Pope established the Holy Inquisition Against Depraved Heresy to deal with breakaway Christian sects.
Was the Spanish Inquisition an outgrowth of old Christian attitudes?
Rather, he believes, the Inquisition was an outgrowth of the attitudes of Spain’s Old Christian population. In the words of one Spanish historian, “The Inquisition was a genuine expression of the soul of the Spanish people.”
What did Torquemada do to the Jews of Spain?
Quickly, Torquemada began taking steps to weaken the unconverted Jewish community and eventually expel it from Spain. In 1485, he forced all rabbis, under pain of death, to report conversos who were practicing Judaism, and to pronounce a rabbinic curse on any Jew who failed to notify the Inquisition of such behavior.