
La Santa Inquisición, también conocida como Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición, fue una institución de la Iglesia Católica dedicada a la persecución y castigo de la herejía y la disidencia religiosa. Funcionó desde la Edad Media hasta el siglo XIX, con un enfoque particular en erradicar las herejías internas y mantener la unidad de creencias ortodoxa establecida por la Iglesia de Roma. La Inquisición española, establecida en 1478, se centró en la vigilancia de conversos sospechosos de judaizar o islamizar, y fue utilizada como herramienta política por la monarquía para consolidar su poder. La Inquisición actuó como un tribunal de justicia, enviando inquisidores para llevar a cabo investigaciones y juicios, a menudo asociados con la crueldad y la tortura.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Established | 1478 |
| Established by | Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile |
| Purpose | To maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms |
| Targets | Jews, Muslims, and those who converted from Judaism and Islam to Catholicism |
| Methods | Interrogations, witness statements, torture, and execution |
| Duration | 1478-1834 |
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What You'll Learn
- The Spanish Inquisition was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs
- The Inquisition was a judicial procedure where judges could investigate and try cases
- The Inquisition aimed to combat heresy, apostasy, blasphemy, and witchcraft
- The Inquisition was originally intended to identify heretics among Jewish and Muslim converts to Catholicism
- The Inquisition resulted in torture, forced conversions, and executions

The Spanish Inquisition was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs
The Spanish Inquisition, officially called the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition (Spanish: Tribunal del Santo Oficio de la Inquisición), was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon, and Queen Isabella I of Castile. It was a judicial institution that lasted between 1478 and 1834. Its stated purpose was to combat heresy in Spain, but it also served to consolidate power in the monarchy of the newly unified Spanish kingdom. The Inquisition was established toward the end of the Reconquista and aimed to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in the kingdoms of Ferdinand and Isabella and replace the Medieval Inquisition, which was under papal control.
The Spanish Inquisition was characterized by its brutal methods, which led to widespread death and suffering. It targeted Jews, Muslims, and those who had converted from these faiths to Christianity, known as conversos. The Inquisition sought to identify heretics among those who converted and to punish those who continued to practice their original religion in secret. This resulted in hundreds of thousands of forced conversions, torture, and executions. The methods of the Inquisition included formal trials, torture under legal restrictions, and, in extreme cases, the death penalty.
The Spanish Inquisition also targeted prominent Roman Catholics, such as Saint Ignatius of Loyola, who was twice arrested on suspicion of heresy, and the archbishop of Toledo, the Dominican Bartolomé de Carranza, who was imprisoned for almost 17 years. The Inquisition's excesses diminished over time, but autos-da-fé, or public ceremonies during which sentences against the condemned were read, continued into the mid-18th century.
The Spanish Inquisition was established by the Catholic Monarchs to ensure the purity of the Catholic faith in their territories and to address the issue of conversos who were suspected of returning to their previous religious practices. It was used as a tool to increase the power of the centralized regime and consolidate their rule over the unified Spanish kingdom. The Inquisition was under the direct control of the monarchy, and its jurisdiction extended throughout Spanish territory and its colonies in America and Asia, although its reach and activity were more limited in these regions.
The Spanish Inquisition developed specific procedures, including trials with interrogations, witness testimonies, and, in some cases, torture to obtain confessions. The first inquisitors, Miguel de Morillo and Juan de San Martín, were named in 1480, and the first auto-da-fé execution was held in Seville in 1481, with six people burned alive. The last person executed for heresy by the Spanish Inquisition was Cayetano Ripoll in 1826.
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The Inquisition was a judicial procedure where judges could investigate and try cases
La Santa Inquisición, also known as the Spanish Inquisition, was a judicial procedure where ecclesiastical judges could initiate, investigate, and try cases within their jurisdiction. It was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, and lasted until 1834. The Inquisition was originally intended to identify heretics among those who converted from Judaism and Islam to Catholicism, as well as to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms.
The Inquisition was a tribunal religious, or a court process based on Roman law, that came into use during the Late Middle Ages. It was a less arbitrary form of trial that replaced the previous denunciatio and accussatio processes, which often required a denouncer or used an adversarial process. The term "inquisition" comes from the Medieval Latin word "inquisitio," which means "averiguación" or "investigation."
The Inquisition was originally under papal control, with Pope Sixtus IV granting a bull in 1478 to address those who had been baptized but reverted to Jewish rites and customs. However, the Spanish Inquisition was unique in that it was under the direct control of the monarchy, which also used it as a political tool to consolidate its power. The jurisdiction of the Spanish Inquisition extended throughout Spanish territory and its colonies in America and Asia, although its reach and activity were more limited in these latter regions.
The Inquisition primarily involved the investigation, condemnation, and punishment of heresy. This included the persecution of conversos (baptized Jews and Muslims who were suspected of secretly practicing their original religion), the censorship of books considered dangerous to the faith, and, to a lesser extent, the condemnation of women accused of witchcraft. The methods of the Inquisition included formal trials, legally restricted torture, and, in extreme cases, the death penalty.
The Congregation of the Holy Inquisition, also known as the Congregation of the Santa Inquisition, was established in 1542 by Pope Paul III to supervise the States of the Church and other parts of Italy. While the Inquisition was officially abolished in the 19th century, it was reorganized in 1965 by Pope Paul VI into the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and in theory, it still exists today.
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The Inquisition aimed to combat heresy, apostasy, blasphemy, and witchcraft
La Santa Inquisición (The Inquisition) was a Catholic institution dedicated to investigating, condemning, and punishing heresy. It was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, and lasted until 1834. The Inquisition was a response to movements considered apostate or heretical to Roman Catholicism, especially the spread of Catharism and Waldensians in Southern France and Northern Italy.
The Inquisition's role in cases of witchcraft was more restricted than is commonly believed. Jurisdiction over sorcery and witchcraft remained in secular hands, and the Spanish Inquisition, in particular, was sceptical of witchcraft, considering it a superstition without basis. However, there were numerous executions of people suspected of witchcraft in northern Italy in the 15th and early 16th centuries. The prosecution of witchcraft became more prominent in the late medieval and Renaissance eras, driven by events such as the Black Death, the Hundred Years' War, and a cooling of the climate known as the Little Ice Age.
The Inquisition also targeted those accused of blasphemy, which included verbal offences against religious beliefs and sexual morality. The last person executed for heresy was Cayetano Ripoll in 1826, for teaching Deism to his students. The Inquisition's legacy is controversial, and the opening of Spanish and Roman archives has led historians to revise their understanding of this period.
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The Inquisition was originally intended to identify heretics among Jewish and Muslim converts to Catholicism
The Inquisition was a church court established by the Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, in 1478. It was primarily intended to identify heretics among Jewish and Muslim converts to Catholicism. The Inquisition was also used to clear the names of those falsely accused of being heretics.
The Inquisition was established towards the end of the Reconquista, which aimed to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in the kingdoms and replace the Medieval Inquisition, which was under papal control. The Inquisition was originally focused on the surveillance of converts from Judaism and Islam who were suspected of secretly practising their original religions.
The regulation of the faith of newly converted Catholics was intensified following royal decrees issued in 1492 and 1502, ordering Jews and Muslims to convert to Catholicism or leave Castile, or face death. This resulted in hundreds of thousands of forced conversions, torture, and executions. The Inquisition expanded to other territories under the Spanish Crown, including Southern Italy and the Americas.
The Inquisition was a response to the multi-religious nature of Spanish society following the Reconquista. While the Reconquista did not result in the total expulsion of Muslims from Spain, they, along with Jews, were tolerated by the ruling Christian elite. However, in the following years, the Muslims became increasingly alienated and excluded from power centres.
The Inquisition was not the first attempt to persecute Jews and force them to convert. In 613, King Sisebut decreed that Jews must convert or be expelled, leading many to flee or convert. In the twelfth century, papal bulls prohibited Jews from holding public office, required them to wear distinctive badges, ordered the burning of the Talmud, and confined Jews to ghettos.
The Inquisition resulted in the persecution of conversos, with some sources estimating that up to 2,000 Jews were burned at the stake during the reign of Queen Isabella. The Inquisition also targeted those accused of alumbradismo, Protestantism, witchcraft, blasphemy, bigamy, sodomy, and Freemasonry, among other charges.
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The Inquisition resulted in torture, forced conversions, and executions
The Inquisition was a Catholic judicial procedure that aimed to combat heresy, apostasy, blasphemy, witchcraft, and customs considered deviant. It was set up within the Catholic Church to root out and punish heresy throughout Europe and the Americas. The Inquisition is infamous for the severity of its tortures and its persecution of Jews and Muslims, as well as its worst manifestation in Spain, where it was a dominant force for over 200 years, resulting in approximately 32,000 executions.
The Spanish Inquisition was established in 1478 by King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It was concerned primarily with the heretical behaviour of Catholic adherents or converts, including forced converts. The Inquisition originally intended to identify heretics among those who converted from Judaism and Islam to Catholicism. The regulation of the faith of these newly converted Catholics was intensified following royal decrees issued in 1492 and 1502, ordering Jews and Muslims to convert or leave Castile, resulting in hundreds of thousands of forced conversions, torture, and executions.
Torture was allowed when guilt was "half proven" or presumed, as per Article XV of Torquemada's instructions and Eymerich's directions. However, Eymerich noted that information obtained through torture was unreliable and should be a last resort. The Spanish Inquisition was not permitted to "maim, mutilate, draw blood, or cause any permanent damage" to prisoners. Nevertheless, many victims suffered broken limbs and other permanent health issues, and some died. A physician was usually on hand, but their role was to certify that the prisoner was healthy enough to endure the torture without immediate harm.
The Inquisition's use of torture included the potro, or rack, where a person's limbs were slowly pulled apart. Another method was to force the victim to ingest water to the point of near-drowning. Various replicas of the Iron Maiden also existed, though there is no reliable evidence of their use. These devices were likely mentioned to frighten and force the accused to confess.
The Inquisition resulted in forced conversions, torture, and executions, with the exact numbers unknown due to the loss of many documents over the years. However, estimates range from a few thousand to tens of thousands of executions.
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Frequently asked questions
La Santa Inquisición fue una institución de la Iglesia Católica dedicada a investigar, condenar y castigar la herejía.
La Santa Inquisición se fundó en 1184 en Languedoc, Francia, para combatir la herejía de los cátaros.
La Santa Inquisición estaba bajo la jurisdicción del Santo Oficio y era dirigida por la Iglesia Católica en cooperación con la autoridad civil.
Los objetivos de la Santa Inquisición eran mantener el orden socio-religioso en los territorios católicos y preservar la ortodoxia de la fe católica.
Los jueces en los juicios de la Santa Inquisición se llamaban "inquisidores" y eran representantes de la Iglesia Católica que llevaban a cabo investigaciones y juicios.











































