Spanish Inquisition

The Inquisition was instituted by the Catholic Church in the late Middle Ages, with the mission of searching out those defined by the Church as "heretics", extracting from them confessions - often by torture - and handing over the recalcitrant ones to execution by the secular authorities, often carried out by burning at the stake ("Auto de Fe").

The Inquisition existed in various forms in various European countries, considerably differing from one place to another and from one time to another in the scope and severity of its actions. The Spanish Inquisition became particularly known, partially due to being especially powerful and long-lasting, partly because its activity provided abundant material for the propaganda of Spain's enemies. Part of the reason for the Spanish Inquisition persisting longer than the ones in other countries was its being not only a Church organization but also an instrument of the central government in Spain to increase its power.

Spanish Inquisition in The Two Georges
The amalgamation of France and Spain into the Holy Alliance was not, in fact, an alliance between equals; the French partner was obviously stronger and more powerful, and was clearly destined to dominate the Spanish ones. Knowing this but fearful of otherwise losing their empire in threatened colonial uprisings which they felt unable to control by themselves, the Spanish Monarchs included on the Treaty of Alliance a clause providing a guarantee for "The Preservation of Uniquely Spanish Religious and Cultural Institutions". Prominent on the list of such institutions was the Inquisition.

from the middle 19th Century onwards, the continued existence of the Inquisition proved a growing embarrassment to Spain and to the Holy Alliance as a whole. Especially in times of international tensions, the Inquisition was certain to have a major place in British propaganda against its rival. After conquering northern Nuevoespaniola in the 1840's and annexing it to the North American Union, the British claimed to have "liberated" its inhabitants from the overhanging shadow of the Inquisition (though in fact there had been very little Inquisition activity in this region, which under the Spanish was rural and sparsely populated). With the development of the modern press, any Auto de Fe was certain to become world-wide news and be reported in lurid detail, at least within the bounds of the British Empire (and also in Russia, even though the Tsar disposed of institutions no less horrible).

For their part, many Spaniards were unhappy with this institution, which they regarded as an atiquated relic of an ugly past. However, any call for its abolition was bound to come up against entrenched conservative interests, with those making such calls bound to be accused of "seeking to destroy Spain's Spanishness". Still, during the 20th Century measures were taken to draw the Inquisition's teeth, such as giving the civil authorities the power of commuting a death sentence imposed by the Inquisition into imprisonment or even granting full clemency (and governors made increasingly frequent use of this authority). Also the Inquisition's power to use torture was increasingly restricted, and in some places its prisoners were granted representation by a lawyer. However, all such measures were partial, with legislation differing from one region of Spain to another and from one colony to another. In locations where religious fanatics gained power, or where a local potentate found it convenient to use the Inquisition in a power game, its horrendous authority could still be invoked to the full.