Kale Kingsbury LIS 612: History of Books and Libraries 31 March 2008 The Inquisition Kale Kingsbury LIS 612: History of Books and Libraries 31 March 2008

The Inquisition: An Introduction What was it? Derived from Latin inquiro (“inquire into”) Not one, but three: Medieval Inquisition Spanish Inquisition Roman Inquisition

Origins of the Inquisition All about heresy, heresies, and heretics Catalyst - Large scale heresies Cathari, Waldenses, Albigensians Early 1200s - Albigensian Crusade 1231 – Pope Gregory IX institutes Inquisition

Inquisitorial Procedures Time given to confess Failure to confess resulted in trial Only two witnesses needed for conviction No legal aid 1252 – Use of torture authorized by Pope Innocent IV Penalties

The Spanish Inquisition Origins 1478 – Authorized by Pope Sixtus IV Church loses control 1483 – Tomas de Torquemada

The Roman Inquisition Established in 1542 Led by Congregation of the Inquisition Designed to combat Protestantism in Italy Inquisition’s end

So what did it mean for books? Books relating to Judaism and Islam targeted / destroyed Index Librorum Prohibitorum (“Index of Forbidden Books”) First issued in 1551 Continued until June 1966 Science books banned if: Content ran counter to Church Authors belonged to different faiths Largely same for literature Effects “The times are such that one should think carefully before writing books.”

Religion vs. Science: Galileo Published Dialogue in 1632 Forced to recant Copernican beliefs in 1633 Sentenced to life imprisonment Church admitted error in 1992

Thank You! Any Questions?