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One of the best studies on the subject is by Henry Kamen, Professor of History who has taught at numerous U.S. Universities, including UCLA and the Univ. of Chicago. He is a Jewish-British citizen and is currently a research fellow in Spain and his analysis support the fact that the Spanish Inquisition, as understood by most today, is based on urban legends. I suggest folks here at a minimum go to amazon.com and examine his work on the Spanish Inquisition.

I am surprised by the lack of intellectual honesty with some individuals with respect to this subject.

The Spanish Inquisition was established in 1480 in the context of the Spanish Reconquest of their homeland from the Muslim invaders, who had overrun their country in the late 7th century resulting in the longest war in history. The Spanish inquisition was designed to confront Catholic heresy, which was seen as being a threat to the state.

Specifically, it was targeting conversos, i.e. persons who had converted from Islam and/or Judaism for political gain. There is a growing consensus among scholars that indeed many of the conversos lived double lives and conspired with the Moslems during the Spanish Catholics war of reconquest.

It is true that torture as used and some were put to death by the state, if convicted twice which Catholic Historian Warren Carroll, in his Volume 3 of History of Christianity: The Glory of Christendom notes can’t be defended.

However, he notes that torture and being put to death were not unique to Spain. Many Catholic Saints were in fact charged in the inquisition and cleared, including St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits, and ST. THeresa of Avila. As Carroll notes (p. 608) in Volume 3 of his work, “The Glory of Christendom”, the Inquisition had no jurisdiction over practicing Moslems or Jews, only over professed Christians who were still living as Jews or Moslems.

Shortly after the Spanish Inquisition was commenced in 1480, the war of reconquest of Spain began again as on December 26, 1481, the Moslems attacked Granada. Isabella responded with and all out military effort which finally ended what was a 759 year struggle!!! to to drive the Moslems out. In addition, shortly after the reconquest, Isabella in March 1492 issued a decree to expel all Jews from Spain.

Warren Carroll (p. 681 fn) writes “Much has been made of in recent years of Isabel’s decree in March 1492 expelling all Jews from Castille as showing that she was not always good and just. None but God is always good and just. This was the one definitely unjust act in Isabel’s thirty-three year reign; though some Jewish subjects had been proved to be, or could reasonably be expected to be traitors, and some had been proved by the inquisition to have enticed conversos to betray and blaspheme the Christian Faith, the edict of expulsion covered all without exception, the innocent majority along with guilty minority. Those exiled were not otherwise harshly treated; they were given four months to wind up their affairs and take all they wished with them except precious metal, an their persons were under royal protection throughout that time. Yet, the expulsion was still unjust (See Carrolls Isabel of Spain, pp. 207-210 for more detail).

Selective memory lost of the enemies of the Church omit that the Jews were expelled from France in 1181 and from England in 1290.

It seems, based on the scientific evidence, that many Jews of the times adopted Catholicism and married Spanish Catholics, rather than leave Spain. In summary, the Spanish Inquisition should be seen in the context of the 15th century and in the context of Spain’s 759 year conflict to retake their Land from the Moslem invaders. Further, the Spanish Inquisition was no different from any other courts during its time, and in fact, the criteria for evidence was among the best in the era.

Also, non-Catholic never were tried under the inquisition, so this nonsense that all non-Catholics, which you seem to imply in your post, were wound up and tried in the Spanish Inquisition is more bigotry than fact..

For those that in good faith want to delve on the history of the Inquisition:

DEFENSE OF THE INQUISITION
By Jean-Claude Dupuis
http://archives.sspx.org/against_sound_bites/defense_of_the_inquisition.htm