The History and Procedures of the Spanish Inquisition

The Inquisition

The Inquisition was an ecclesiastical court established for the suppression of heresy and other crimes against the Christian faith. Pope Gregory IX charged the Dominican Order with the mission to inquire into, prosecute, and punish heretics within their dioceses, while leaving the civilian authorities in charge of executing the sentences. In the Iberian Peninsula, it was added to the Crown of Aragon in 1242. The Inquisition was not established in Castile until the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, who sought the creation of a new tribunal as an instrument to consolidate the religious unity of the peninsula in the face of the threat posed by Jewish converts. Sixtus IV recognized the monarchs' power to hold the Holy Office, regardless of the papacy, under the jurisdiction of the Crown.

Stages of the Inquisition

• Foundation: Primarily directed to repress Judaizers (converts who were secretly practicing Judaism), as well as signs of witchcraft and heresy.
• Second Stage: During the reigns of Charles I and Philip II, the focus shifted to safeguarding Catholic orthodoxy against Protestantism.
• Third Stage: In the 17th century, it took on the role of social control and surveillance of customs. It centered on crimes such as sodomy, adultery, and bigamy.

At this time, the Inquisition began a process of decay. The Cortes of Cadiz decreed its extinction in 1813. Although Ferdinand VII restored it, the Inquisition was finally abolished in 1834.

Procedure of the Inquisition

Following a complaint or suspicion of a crime, the defendant was held in incommunicado detention while evidence was gathered and an investigation into their conduct was conducted. Torture was only used if evidence was insufficient.

Once the evidence was assembled, the court passed a sentence, which could result in:

• Acquittal: Full or partial.
• Penance or Reconciliation: If the offender was sorry or renounced their actions, resulting in imprisonment, public penance (wearing the San Benito), disqualification from service, or confiscation of goods.
• Relaxation to the Secular Arm: If the offender was a recidivist or refused to retract, it meant the death penalty at the stake, or if the prisoner recanted, death by club at the foot of the gallows.

The convicts were executed in a solemn public ceremony called an auto de fe.

Organization of the Inquisition

At the head of the Inquisition was the Inquisitor General, appointed by the monarch, who commanded the Supreme Council of the Inquisition. There were several provincial courts with their own inquisitors. In its heyday, the number of courts reached nine on the peninsula and three in the Indies.