My analysis of the inquisition is simply that it shows the necessity of the separation of church and state. From what I understand, the various inquisitions were not started under order from the Vatican, rather, it was the heads of states suppressing dissent under the guise protecting the state religion.
“From what I understand, the various inquisitions were not started under order from the Vatican, rather, it was the heads of states suppressing dissent under the guise protecting the state religion.”
exactly - people were accused of treason against their government.
The Church courts also served to establish legal process because of the frontier conditions of medieval Euope. That process was more uniform because they had to meet the requirements of canon law. By contrast, the manorial courts were dependent on the whil of the nobility and local custom. In England the royal courts took much from church court procedures and led to an establishment of a common law throughout the realm.