Who was the most cruel inquisitor?

Tomás de Torquemada, (born 1420, Valladolid, Castile [Spain]—died September 16, 1498, Ávila, Castile), first grand inquisitor in Spain, whose name has become synonymous with the Christian Inquisition's horror, religious bigotry, and cruel fanaticism.

Who was tortured in the Spanish Inquisition?

Anatomy of Torture (Cornell University Press, May 2022) is, in part, a telling of how the Roman Catholic Church, backed by Spanish King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I, used physical and psychological torture systematically to crush communities of Jews, Muslims, Protestants and others seen as heretics.

Was the Spanish Inquisition cruel?

Beginning in the 12th century and continuing for hundreds of years, the Inquisition is infamous for the severity of its tortures and its persecution of Jews and Muslims. Its worst manifestation was in Spain, where the Spanish Inquisition was a dominant force for more than 200 years, resulting in some 32,000 executions.

How many were killed by the Spanish Inquisition?

Estimates of the number killed by the Spanish Inquisition, which Sixtus IV authorised in a papal bull in 1478, have ranged from 30,000 to 300,000. Some historians are convinced that millions died.

Who stopped the Inquisition?

The Spanish queen regent María Cristina de Borbón issued a decree abolishing the Spanish Inquisition on July 15, 1834.

The Most Evil Men in History Torquemada

What was the bloodiest Inquisition?

According to Machado, in its two-and-a-half centuries of existence in Goa, the Inquisition burnt 57 people to death at the stake and 64 in effigy, of whom 105 were men and 16 were women.

When was the last victim of the Inquisition?

On July 26, 1826, Cayetano Ripoll, a schoolmaster in Valencia, Spain, teaching deist principles should become the last victim executed by the Spanish inquisition.

Who was the last person burned in the Spanish Inquisition?

After nearly four centuries of activity, the Spanish Inquisition executed its last victim, a schoolteacher named Cayetano Ripoll, today (July 26) in 1826.

How often was an accused person executed in the Spanish Inquisition?

According to modern estimates, around 150,000 people were prosecuted for various offences during the three-century duration of the Spanish Inquisition, of whom between 3,000 and 5,000 were executed, approximately 2.7% of all cases.

How many years did the Inquisition last?

The Spanish Inquisition was a judicial institution that lasted between 1478 and 1834. Its ostensible purpose was to combat heresy in Spain, but, in practice, it resulted in consolidating power in the monarchy of the newly unified Spanish kingdom. Its brutal methods led to widespread death and suffering.

Did the Catholic Church apologize for the Inquisition?

In 2000, John Paul apologized for the sins of Roman Catholics made in the name of their faith, including abuses during the Inquisition - a crackdown by church officials from the 13th to the 19th centuries, on individuals suspected of being in conflict with church teaching.

What was the real reason for the Spanish Inquisition?

In reality, the purpose of the Spanish Inquisition stemmed from the Christians' fear that the growing Jewish population would become more powerful than them. The Jews were a threat to the monarchy, and the Catholic Monarchs saw the Inquisition as a way to root out the source of one of their biggest problems.

What were the brutal methods of the Spanish Inquisition?

A century later, during the Spanish Inquisition, interrogators began using more elaborate forms of torture, such as the rack, the pulley and waterboarding. They also began parading their victims through the streets in elaborate displays of punishment.

Does the Inquisition still exist?

The Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition still exists, though changed its name a couple of times. It is currently called the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

How many Jews were killed in Spanish Inquisition?

But that changed in 1492, when the Catholic monarchs, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, expelled them. Some 300,000 Jews — up to a quarter of the Spanish population — had to convert to Catholicism or flee Spain, or were killed in the Spanish Inquisition.

Why were heretics burned at the stake?

1. It was a punishment especially concerned with the ladies. While heretics and witches were often destined for the purifying flames, women committed of particularly heinous crimes, like killing their husbands or high treason, were bound for the stake because it was said to protect their modesty.

Who was the executioner of the Spanish Inquisition?

Tomás de Torquemada, (born 1420, Valladolid, Castile [Spain]—died September 16, 1498, Ávila, Castile), first grand inquisitor in Spain, whose name has become synonymous with the Christian Inquisition's horror, religious bigotry, and cruel fanaticism.

Who had more control over the Spanish Inquisition?

Unlike the Medieval Inquisition, which had been under the control of the Roman Catholic Church in Rome, the Spanish Inquisition was under the direct control of the Spanish monarchy.

Who leads the Inquisition?

Grand Inquisitor (Latin: Inquisitor Generalis, literally Inquisitor General or General Inquisitor) was the lead official of the Inquisition. The title usually refers to the chief inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition, even after the reunification of the inquisitions.

Who was forced to recant during the Inquisition?

Today marks the 378th anniversary of the day the Inquisition forced Galileo to say he was wrong— that the Earth did not revolve around the sun.

What happened to people who refused to confess to the Inquisition?

If they refused to recant at all, the Inquisition turned them over to government authorities to be burned alive. Some inquisitors were so thorough that they went after the dead. If a dead person was accused of heresy, his or her bones could be dug up and burned. For most accused heretics, there was no appeal.

Which pope ordered the Inquisition?

However, the repression of heresy remained unorganized, and with the large scale heresies in the 11th and 12th centuries, Pope Gregory IX instituted the papal inquisition in 1231 for the apprehension and trial of heretics. The name Inquisition is der ived from the Latin verb inquiro (inquire into).

What were the three major inquisitions?

Why were people tortured during the Inquisition?

Torture was used only to get a confession and wasn't meant to actually punish the accused heretic for his crimes. Some inquisitors used starvation, forced the accused to consume and hold vast quantities of water or other fluids, or heaped burning coals on parts of their body.