[Elsie]

...all sides were horrific in the 16th century...

AHHhhh...

Is we complaining about a little bit of payback??

The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition, was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile.

[Cronos]

Perhaps you ought to read it a bit - the Spanish Inquisition (beware :-P) - was founded, as you said, in 1478 -- well BEFORE the Luthers and Calvins and Elizabeths. Didn't you read that?

Also the Inq was directed against crypto-Muslims and crypto-Jews, both of whom were supporting the Muslims who had just recently (1450) been thrown out of Spain and were an ever-lurking threat.

The Elizabethan slaughter of Catholics, the Kulturkampf (yes, centuries later) etc. - were as horrific and disgusting as the Catholic actions against Huguenots in France and others. All sides did horrific things