Catholicism and the Inquisition Melissa Alberts Religion in Spain

History of Religion in Spain Prior to the reunification of Spain, the area was tolerant of other religions, namely Judaism, Christianity and Islam because they had no other option The expansion of Islam into the Iberian peninsula led to the creation of separate Muslim areas with their own ruling elite and laws based on Islamic teachings and law For the most part, all three religions were maintained on the peninsula even with its political instability

The Domination of Catholicism Catholicism became the dominant religion in Spain with the completion of the Reconquista The impetus for this was the desire of the King and Queen to make the newly reunited Spain like the rest of the countries in Europe which were strictly Catholic at this time In addition, the monarchy believed it would lead to cohesion within society and lead to a better unified country

Religion and Acceptance There is an major misconception that Spain and its people were completely intolerant of others The elite and the Monarchy were accepting of converts into high positions of society The common people were less accepting and discriminatory toward the other groups However, Spain as a whole discriminated against non- Christians

Society’s Response to Non-Believers Non-Christians were denied the right to participate in many positions throughout the country The Jewish population was isolated into Jewish ghettos Originally, the Muslim population was better tolerated than the Jewish population The Muslim population was a significant minority group in the area while the Jewish population was a small minority group Over time, all non-Christian groups were forced to either convert or leave the country For those who converted and remained in Spain, they had to face the Inquisition

Classifications of People in Spain Old Christians – People who inherited Christianity from their ancestors New Christians – Recent converts to Christianity from other religious groups Types of New Christians Conversos – Jewish converts to Christianity Moriscos – Muslim converts to Christianity

Conversos As a result of converting, they now had the ability to participate more in society Society still discriminated against them Suspicions arose concerning the sincerity of their conversion People feared Judaizing Judaizing is the practice of Judaism or the continuation of certain Jewish practices after being converted to Christianity The Inquisition’s primary focus when it first began was this issue of judaizing within the conversos community

Moriscos They were more willing to convert as a group than the Jewish population was When given the option to either convert or leave, there were restrictions on where they could go Restrictions led to many converting so they could remain in the country The conversions were done en masse for entire populations of Muslims in an area Once converted tensions decreased unlike with conversos Eventually this group was also subjected to conditions similar to the conversos

The Inquisition, its mission The Pope formally allowed for the Inquisition in 1478 but no Inquisitors were appointed until 1480 At its inception, the primary focus was to find and eliminate Judaizing conversos This was under the idea that it would allow true conversos to be assimilated into society This was “accomplished” in the early 16 th century After this, the focus of the Inquisition changed in its targets

The Inquisition, its process When the Inquisitors went to a city, they first posted notice People anonymously reported cases of Judaizing Those accused were brought in and told the accusations and given the chance to provide proof of their sincerity to Christianity Torture was used during this process to elicit a confession from the accused When a verdict was reached, the decision was announced through a ceremony If innocent, they could continue as they were If guilty, the punishment ranged from being reprimanded to being condemned to death by burning at the stake There were levels in between such as forced labor and the gallows

The Inquisition, the later years After the early 16 th century, the focus became individual behaviors along with minor cases of heresy Sexual behavior was targeted such as homosexuality and having sexual partners outside marriage Many in Spain thought of the latter as acceptable and the Inquisition served as a means to change public opinion The Protestant Reformation was gripping Europe at this time and the Inquisition dealt with heresy in the form of Protestantism Protestantism made little headway into Spain and as a result few cases of this heresy existed

The Inquisition and Europe The Inquisition existed in Europe during the Medieval period but was under the direct control of the Pope and the Church Other countries in Europe also had their own Inquisitions The most notable Inquisition was in Spain The Pope granted permission to form an office for the Inquisition to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella The monarchy and the country led the Inquisition by taking power away from the Pope and Church in Rome The official end for the Inquisition in Spain was in the 1800s Most of its actions occurred during the early years

Cultural Impact The convergence of the three religions on the peninsula led to a unique cultural identity The Moors in the South brought their own style of dress, art, and architecture which was adopted into Spanish culture The monarchy promoted Christian influences Literature focused on the Life of Christ and Christian ideas Art also focused on the Life of Christ and depicted it in various ways With the Inquisition and the expulsions, cultural influences changed The Office banned certain works of literature

Spain and Rome The Pope was the head of the Catholic Church and as a result held the right to appoint officials within the Church and collect money from its holdings Ferdinand and Isabella pursued interests in Rome to gain control over the area After some time, their power was so great they were declared the “Catholic Kings” and gained patronato real This gave the King the right to appoint Church offices on the peninsula and collect money from Church lands

The Catholic Church in Spain In the early years of Spain with the Inquisition, the Church was much like it was during medieval times It was influenced by local traditions The Counter-Reformation and the Council of Trent changed the Church into its modern form The Church was able to separate itself from Rome and gain control of its own actions in Spain This separation allowed the monarchy to impose the counter- reformation and the edicts from Trent These changes standardized the Church throughout Spain and made it more consistent with universal Catholic beliefs as opposed to local ideas

The Spanish Church in the Spanish Empire The Church had the right to take its own actions throughout the Empire without interference from Rome Missionaries went to the New World to set up missions and convert the native populations

Legacy It is believed that the idea that the rulers of a country could dictate the beliefs of their people originated with the actions of the Spanish monarchs This idea was carried through Europe and was used to settle religious conflicts The Inquisition is believed to be a harsh policy Spain is seen as a totally Catholic country which was impervious to the religious upheaval in the rest of Europe

Modern Impressions Historians have different ideas why the Inquisition originally began in Spain There are some that believe that its sole aim was to purify the Church There are others who believe that it was an ethnic crusade against the non-Spanish and was the attempt of the monarchy to solidify power Almost all historians agree that the extent of the Inquisition is greatly exaggerated New thought believes that the expulsions and the censorship from the Inquisition culturally stunted the country