That is, in the months and years leading up to it, or did anyone expect that it would become as significant as it did?
just an observation…
the Spanish Inquisition is the Christian version of religious fanaticism that we currently see in some radical Muslim groups.
When religious fanaticism obtains power over the majority then very bad things happen.
So far its taken three decades since the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran. Each generation of radical clerics gets a little worse and dangerous.
Eventually we may see the rise of radical Christians again. They are out there, but still small in numbers and they have no power.
Their chief weapon was surprise… or surprise and fear… and a fanatical devotion to the pope…
I’ve always wondered why the majority of moderate Christians didn’t rise up and revolt against the priests during the Spanish Inquisition? The Catholic fanatics in Spain only represented a small number of Catholics.
But we see the same thing today. Millions and millions of moderate Muslims stay silent as a tiny fraction of fanatics hijack & pervert their religion.
I can’t recall, did the Pope support the Spanish Inquisition?
This may help the OP. It was established in 1480. Then strengthened by royal degrees in 1492 and then another in 1501. So it did take awhile to fully implement. Nearly 20 years.
Interesting that the Spanish Inquisition was controlled by the Spanish Monarchy. It replaced the Medieval Inquisition that was under Papal (The Pope) control.
Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492. Right in the middle of the Spanish Inquisition.
Parts of Spain had been occupied by the Muslims from 711 to 1492 so there had been a lot of Muslims around. Jews, who were tolerated by the Muslim regimes, were regarded as allies of the Muslims. As Christian forces retook the country, Muslims and Jews were pressured to convert to Christianity. There was a suspicion that many of them were converting in name only and were still secretly holding on to their original religion.
The Spanish Inquisition was started in 1480 and was directly mostly towards looking for false converts. Being as there had been a growing atmosphere of suspicion against these converts throughout the 1470’s, I don’t think anyone was surprised by the actual declaration of an inquisition. By 1480, everybody was expecting the Spanish Inquisition.
According to Monty Python. No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.
I’ve wondered what the other major countries reaction was to Spain and its decades of torture and killing? Did France or Britain protest at all?
Do you have a source for the idea that the vast majority of Catholics were “moderates” who silently opposed the Inquisition, or is it just presentism?
I doubt that overzealous religious persecution in a neighboring country could have been a significant concern during the late 15th century. And quite soon after that there was the rise of protestantism, and about every country in Europe demonstrated how religiously tolerant it was, and how big an issue it had with torturing and killing for religious motives.
Anyway, I’d note that both England and France had expelled Jews long ago when the Spanish inquisition appeared on the scene. So, they weren’t particularly tolerated in those countries, either. In western Europe, you’d find them in Germany and Italy at this time.
According to Q.I., everyone expected the Spanish Inquisition … because they told you 30 days in advance that you were going to be inquisited (so you could get your defence in order, etc).
This was a time in Europe when central institutions were created to replace the weaker medieval state structures. Most catholics probably saw the Spanish inquisition as part of progress towards a more orderly world, where people who worship wrong stuff get what they deserve. While it had exceptional power and the sentences were harsh, state level persecution of heretics was normal.
The reason it’s called the Spanish Inquisition is that there were other, non-Spanish, Inquisitions.
The Portuguese Inquisition, for instance, or the Pope’s own personal version, the Roman Inquisition.
But just see what is happening in Egypt. I predict that once the fanatics gain power, even though they will be freely elected by a majority of the population, I will be a long time before there is another free election there. Remember that the religious government in Iran was the popular choice in 1979. Thirty two years later, once can doubt that, but the Iranians are not given the choice.
Although I was not a fan of William Buckley (far from it, he was an idiot for, among other things, supporting McCarthy), one thing he said stuck in my mind: That if you vote in a Communist regime, you will never get another chance to vote again. I always viewed Communism as a kind of secular religion.
I have long felt that the most important thing George Washington did (at least after the war) was to quit after two terms. The most difficult time for a post-revolutionary government is the transition to the second government.
-People do often forget that Catholics aren’t really democratic at heart. They are monarchists, believing in a catholic monarch who does the will of the pope of matters spirtual, while mantaining the faith in matters political. Thus the state,not the church, punishes heretics. Before anybody complains, I kind of like the idea.
Are they? All of them?
You’re charitably assuming that the majority of Spanish Catholics didn’t support the Inquisition. As has been noted, the victims of the Inquisition were not traditional Catholics. It was mostly the converted Muslims and Jews who were persecuted. I wouldn’t be surprised if other Spaniards had no issues with that - persecuting the minorities has usually been popular with the masses.
I’ll come in again.
Amongst our weaponry are such diverse elements as: fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and nice red uniforms
Why would the majority of Catholics do that? Remember most of the population fully believed in the teachings of the Church and heaven and hell were very real to them. I suspect they fully supported the rooting out of “false Christians” and heretics when allowing such evil people to live amongst them might lead to damnation and an eternity in hell. What is the torment of a heretic’s flesh against the loss of your immortal soul?
Remember the Reformation that was about to kick off was driven not by a loss of faith in Christianity but by a fear that a corrupt Catholic Church could not lead you to salvation.