The Spanish InQUIZition

Answer: Tomas Torquemada

Tomas Torquemada refined the Inquisition and used it as a political and religious tool, to ensure conformity. The Spanish Inquisition, unlike earlier inquisitions (which had been mainly concerned with heresy) was largely independent of papal control and had a significantly different agenda.

Answer: Ferdinand and Isabella

Ferdinand and Isabella were the parents of Katherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII. They conquered Granada in 1492 and expelled its Muslim population from Spain.

They also encouraged Columbus' epic journeys.

Answer: The Holy Office of the Inquisition

Correctly known as the Holy Office. The core belief of the practitioners was that thereby they were serving the person and God.

Answer: expulsion of the Jews

The Jewish community in Spain were very active commercially. With the expulsion of the Jewish community that knowledge and impetus were removed. This impacted upon Spanish economic development.

Answer: The Cathars

The Dominican order led the inquisition and they were originally a Spanish order of monks. The Church was uneasy about the Cathars because they represented an implicit threat to the Church's spiritual claims.

Answer: Muslims and Jews who had become Christians

Conversos was the name given to those who converted to Christianity from Islam or Judaism. This enabled them to be semi-acceptable in Spain. However, they were often suspected of secretly continuing to practise their former faith. On the whole they were not welcomed into Spanish society; they were treated as a distinct group, and Conversos who wanted to be employed by the government had to produce evidence that their parents and grandparents had been Christians.

This was called "limpieza de sangre" (meaning "[certificate of] purity of blood").

The thinking behind this was that practising a previous religion alongside Christianity would become increasingly difficult, if not impossible, over the course of three generations. Some historians see this as a forerunner of the Nazi "Ariernachweis" ("Aryan certificate").

Answer: Yes

The Inquisition worked on the basis that torture would cause the respondent to speak the truth and confess, and implicate others.

The Inquisition was particularly keen on the rack, the strappado and various forerunners of waterboarding. These excruciating tortures enabled the Inquistitors to claim that, as good Christians, they "did not shed blood".

Answer: Dominicans

The Dominican order led the Inquisition. Their resistance to change, refusal to modernise was an attempt to preserve the past. They were steeped in a medieval world view and resisted the Renaissance, perceiving it as a threat. They also sought to prevent such radical ideas taking hold in Spain.

The Dominican order is named after its founder, St.Dominic, but according to *folk etymology* the name is derived from "Domini canes" - Latin for "the Lord's Hounds".

Answer: Acquittal

Acquittal was the rarest result as the Inquisition was determined to uncover some fault or other, and if it wasn't you, it was generally assumed that you were withholding information from the Inquisition regarding others. Moreover, acquittals suggested that the Inquisition was fallible. Usually, the best that the accused could hope for was that the proceedings would be suspended indefinitely.

However, the case could be reopened at any time. (Kafka's novel "The Trial" echoes some features of this).

Answer: The State

The Inquisition handed the 'guilty' to the state to execute, they were not empowered to implement that penalty - due to their religious oaths. They were present to see that the penalty was exacted.