Michael Brooks
The Catholic Inquisition, also known as the Spanish Inquisition, was a campaign by the Catholic Church to regulate the faith of newly converted Catholics and target those accused of heresy, including Jews and Muslims. The exact death toll during this period is disputed, with some estimates claiming millions of deaths, while others suggest a much lower number, around 2,000 according to the Catholic Church. The Inquisition also resulted in mass expulsions, forced conversions, torture, and the persecution of Jews and Muslims in Spain and the Spanish Empire. Critics of the Catholic Church have been accused of exaggerating the death toll to condemn the Church's actions during this time.
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What You'll Learn
The Spanish Inquisition: 2,000–3,500 executions
The Spanish Inquisition, established in 1478 by King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, was intended to identify heretics among those who converted from Judaism and Islam to Catholicism. It also aimed to replace the Medieval Inquisition, which was under papal control. The Inquisition resulted in a significant number of executions, with estimates ranging from 2,000 to 3,500.
The Spanish Inquisition initiated approximately 350,000 procedures, resulting in 50,000 guilty verdicts and 3,500 death sentences. Of these, about 2,000 were executed, while 1,500 were effigies. The actual number of executions during the Spanish Inquisition is estimated to be between 3,000 and 10,000, with an additional 100,000 to 125,000 dying in prison due to torture and maltreatment.
García Cárcel estimates that approximately 150,000 people were prosecuted by the Inquisition throughout its history. Applying the execution percentages from the trials of 1560–1700 (about 2%), the total number of executions could be around 3,000. However, some authors consider the toll to be higher, estimating between 3,000 and 5,000 executions.
Juan Antonio Llorente, a former Spanish secretary to the Inquisition, claimed that nearly 32,000 "heretics" were burned at the stake during the Spanish Inquisition, with an additional 300,000 forced to do penance. However, there is controversy surrounding the accuracy of Llorente's figures, and most modern scholars believe his estimates are too high.
It is important to note that the Spanish Inquisition has been the subject of exaggeration and distortion by critics of the Catholic Church. While the exact number of executions may never be known, contemporary scholars generally agree that the death toll was significantly lower than the often-cited figures of tens of millions.
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Critics claim death tolls of 50–68 million
Critics of the Catholic Church have claimed that the death toll of the Catholic Inquisition ranges from 50 to 68 million people. These estimates, however, have been widely disputed and are considered by many to be exaggerated and baseless.
The population of Europe during the Middle Ages is estimated to have been around 100 to 120 million people at its height. The alleged death toll of 50 to 68 million, therefore, implies that the Catholic Inquisition was responsible for the deaths of almost half of Europe's population, which is highly improbable and unsupported by historical records.
Some critics argue that the actual number of deaths caused by the Inquisition is significantly lower than the claimed 50 to 68 million. According to the Archivo Histórico Nacional, the Inquisition initiated approximately 350,000 procedures over a period of 350 years, resulting in 50,000 guilty verdicts and 3,500 death sentences, of which about 2,000 were carried out. These numbers are a far cry from the millions claimed by some critics.
It is important to note that the Inquisition did result in forced conversions, torture, executions, and mass expulsions of Jews and Muslims from Spain. Royal decrees in 1492 and 1502 ordered Jews and Muslims to convert to Catholicism or face death, leading to hundreds of thousands of forced conversions. Additionally, the Inquisition targeted various groups, including those accused of alumbradismo, Protestantism, witchcraft, blasphemy, bigamy, and sodomy.
While the exact death toll may never be known due to incomplete historical records, the notion of 50 to 68 million deaths attributed to the Catholic Inquisition is not supported by the available evidence and is considered by many to be a gross exaggeration used to criticise the Catholic Church.
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Anti-Jewish massacres in 1391
The exact number of people who died during the Catholic Inquisition is unknown. However, according to one source, throughout the 350-odd years that the Inquisition was active, it initiated some 350,000 procedures, resulting in 50,000 guilty verdicts and 3,500 death sentences, 2,000 of which were carried out. Another source states that the Inquisition left a long-lasting memory, implying that the number of deaths was significant.
Now, turning to the specific event of the Anti-Jewish massacres in 1391, also known as the "Massacre of 1391" or the "pogroms of 5151" in Jewish history, marked a tragic turn in the history of Spanish Jewry. On the 6th of June 1391, a wave of massacres swept through the Jewish communities in Spain, leaving thousands dead and many more forced to convert to Christianity or flee the country.
The violence began in Seville, where a mob of Catholics murdered approximately 4,000 Jews and destroyed their houses. Those who escaped death were forced to accept baptism. The anti-Jewish riots and massacres were instigated by Ferrand Martinez, a Spanish cleric and archdeacon of Écija, Andalusia, who had been preaching against the Jews as early as 1378. He stirred up the people against the Jews, calling on them to destroy synagogues and force Jews to convert to Catholicism.
Within three months, the violence spread to over seventy other cities and towns across Christian Spain, including Andalusia, the southern province of Castille, and Burgos. The flourishing Jewish communities in the Christian states of Spain, including Castille, Aragon, Valencia, Catalonia, and the Balearic Islands, were destroyed. The massacres of 1391 marked the beginning of the end of the Golden Age of Spanish Jewry, a period of flourishing religious, cultural, and economic life for Jews in Spain.
The Church became suspicious of the sincerity of the forced conversions, and these conversions were later investigated by the Inquisition. The events of 1391 inaugurated a mass conversion movement, as fear gripped the Jewish communities of Spain. The massacres ultimately led to the final expulsion of the remaining Jews from Spain in 1492, bringing an end to what was then the world's largest Jewish population.
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Forced conversions and torture
The Catholic Inquisition, also known as the Spanish Inquisition, was a campaign led by the Catholic Church to identify heretics, particularly among those who converted from Judaism and Islam to Catholicism. The Inquisition was established in 1478 by King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and was overseen by 14 local tribunals. It was characterised by forced conversions, torture, executions, and the persecution of conversos (those who converted from Judaism) and moriscos (those who converted from Islam).
Forced conversions were a significant aspect of the Inquisition. In 1492, the Alhambra Decree ordered Jews and Muslims to convert to Catholicism or leave Castile, resulting in hundreds of thousands of forced conversions. Those who did not convert were expelled or faced death. Similar decrees were issued in other parts of Europe, such as the decree by King Sisebut in 613, which led to the forced conversion or expulsion of Jews.
The Inquisition also targeted those accused of various crimes, such as alumbradismo, Protestantism, witchcraft, blasphemy, bigamy, and sodomy. The Spanish Inquisition expanded its reach to other territories under the Spanish Crown, including Southern Italy and the Americas. It is important to note that the Inquisition in Iberia had a unique socio-political basis due to the multicultural territories of Muslim and Jewish influence that were reconquered from Islamic control.
Torture was a common practice during the Inquisition, and it was authorised by the Pope in 1252. Inquisitors used torture to extract confessions from suspected heretics, but they were aware that information obtained through torture might not be reliable. They built their cases patiently, gathering information from multiple sources and using various methods, including detailed record-keeping and surveillance techniques. The goal was to extract factual information that would corroborate with existing intelligence.
The methods of torture used during the Inquisition are well-documented. They included the rack, isolation, and public ceremonies called auto-da-fés, where the accused were paraded, sentences were read, and confessions were made. The inquisitors were strategic in their use of torture, employing it intermittently and in different locations to increase the likelihood of obtaining truthful information.
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The Inquisition's long-lasting memory
The exact number of people who died during the Catholic Inquisition is unknown, with estimates ranging from 3,500 death sentences, of which 2,000 were carried out, to exaggerated figures of 50-68 million. The Inquisition, which lasted from 1478 to 1834, initiated approximately 350,000 procedures, resulting in 50,000 guilty verdicts. The majority of those executed were conversos of Jewish origin.
The Catholic Inquisition, also known as the Spanish Inquisition, was established by King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms. It aimed to identify heretics among those who converted from Judaism and Islam to Catholicism, often resulting in forced conversions, torture, and execution. The Inquisition has left a long-lasting memory due to its impact on religious minorities, particularly Jews and crypto-Jews, who faced persecution, torture, and death sentences.
The Inquisition's memory is also shaped by its role in the expulsion of Jews from Spain. In 1492, the Inquisitor Torquemada convinced the monarchs that unbaptized Jews posed a threat, leading to the Alhambra Decree, which expelled all remaining Jews from the kingdom. This decree noted that interactions between Jews and Christians persisted despite previous efforts at segregation, highlighting the perceived threat to Christian faith and culture.
The Inquisition's legacy is further influenced by its impact on religious practices. It aimed to prevent conversos from engaging in Jewish practices and maintained strict regulations on religious conversions. The regulation of the faith of newly converted Catholics was intense, and royal decrees in 1492 and 1502 ordered Jews and Muslims to convert, leave Castile, or face death. This resulted in hundreds of thousands of forced conversions, as people chose to conform rather than face persecution or exile.
The Inquisition's memory is shaped not only by the number of deaths but also by its long-term impact on religious minorities, the expulsion of Jews, and the regulation of religious practices. It has become a symbol of religious persecution and intolerance, with critics using it as a club to bash the Catholic Church. However, it is important to note that critics may distort or exaggerate the facts, and the actual number of deaths may be much lower than some claims.
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Frequently asked questions
Estimates vary. Some sources claim that only around 2,000 people were executed, while others put the figure at between 500,000 and 1,000,000. The higher estimates are considered by some to be exaggerated and mathematically untenable.
One of the goals of the Inquisition was to terrorize the population.
The Catholic Church used a variety of methods to execute people, including drowning and stretching people on a rack.
The victims of the Inquisition included Jews, Muslims, and Catholics.
Yes, the Inquisition also resulted in forced conversions, torture, persecution, and mass expulsions. It also had a detrimental impact on the economies of Spain and Portugal.
