Definition
The Spanish Inquisition was a tribunal established in 1478 by the Catholic monarchs of Spain to police religious orthodoxy across their realms. It operated under royal control rather than direct papal authority and lasted, with changing roles, into the nineteenth century.
Its original target was conversos — Jews and later Muslims who had converted to Christianity but were suspected of secretly keeping their former faith. Over time its remit widened to other forms of perceived heresy.
Why it matters
How it works
The Inquisition functioned as a permanent judicial bureaucracy. Tribunals investigated denunciations, often acting on anonymous accusations, and used interrogation and at times torture to extract confessions. Those found guilty faced penalties ranging from public penance to confiscation of property and, in the most serious cases, execution by the secular authorities.
Because it operated within and for the state, the Inquisition reinforced a model in which political loyalty and religious conformity were treated as one. This linkage helps explain why later movements for toleration framed freedom of conscience as a check on state power itself.