When people think of the most explicit acts of human cruelty in history, many people’s first thoughts jump to the holocaust, Aztec sacrifices, or the European conquest of the Americas. However, an event that doesn’t get enough consideration in this gruesome contest is the Spanish Inquisition. Hundreds of thousands of Protestants, atheists, and other non-believers were brutally tortured and killed, while millions more were persecuted. This horrific event was the result of the Catholic Church’s influence within the monarchy of Spain. In response to the Protestant reformation in Europe, the church began the 400 year persecution of non-catholics throughout the world. This is an event which would forever change the geopolitical landscape, and
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In the aftermath of the crusades, and the reconquest of Spain by Christians, (it had previously been controlled by muslims) Queen Isabella needed a way to unify her new nation. She did this by ruling jointly with King Ferdinand, and also by using Christianity to promote both religious fervor, and also a sense of religious nationalism. The use of the church to unify people was hardly a new concept, one only needs to look at Emperor Constantine in the Byzantine Empire, but it had never been done to the extent that Spain did. Rather than simply promoting a national religion, they began to purge non-catholics from the country. Anyone who didn’t comply with Catholic beliefs, was removed from the country, tortured, or tried and executed as a heretic. This practiced was ran by a inquisitor-general, who oversaw local trials and tribunals throughout the country. In these trials, accused heretics were identified by the general population and brought before the tribunal. The were given a chance to confess their heresy against the Catholic Church and were also encouraged to indict other heretics. If they admitted their wrongs and turned in other aggressors against the church they were either released or sentenced to a prison penalty. If they would not admit their heresy or indict others, the accused were publicly introduced in a large ceremony before they were executed or sentenced to a life in
In the aftermath of the crusades, and the reconquest of Spain by Christians, (it had previously been controlled by muslims) Queen Isabella needed a way to unify her new nation. She did this by ruling jointly with King Ferdinand, and also by using Christianity to promote both religious fervor, and also a sense of religious nationalism. The use of the church to unify people was hardly a new concept, one only needs to look at Emperor Constantine in the Byzantine Empire, but it had never been done to the extent that Spain did. Rather than simply promoting a national religion, they began to purge non-catholics from the country. Anyone who didn’t comply with Catholic beliefs, was removed from the country, tortured, or tried and executed as a heretic. This practiced was ran by a inquisitor-general, who oversaw local trials and tribunals throughout the country. In these trials, accused heretics were identified by the general population and brought before the tribunal. The were given a chance to confess their heresy against the Catholic Church and were also encouraged to indict other heretics. If they admitted their wrongs and turned in other aggressors against the church they were either released or sentenced to a prison penalty. If they would not admit their heresy or indict others, the accused were publicly introduced in a large ceremony before they were executed or sentenced to a life in