The Times of the Spanish Inquisition Essay -- essays research papers

Known for the terror it caused the inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula, The Spanish Inquisition was superstar of the most deadly inquisitions in history. Used for both political and sacred reasons, the time period between the 1400s and the 1800s belonged to the Catholic roman letters Empire (Encyclopedia Britannica, 1994). In order to better understand the Inquisition, the reasons behind it, and the phenomenal worldwide effect, it is indispensable to examine its preceding events.In 14th degree centigrade Spain, Jewish volume are often associated with wealth, being a epidemic to the general public. When Aragon united with Castille in the marriage of Ferdinand V and Isabella, Spain was on the bound of becoming one of the wealthiest nations of the period. A large part of that prosperity was payable to the Jewish community. Archdeacon Martinez of Seville continually tried to motivate the people to cleanse themselves of the Jewish citizens, finally succeeding on Ash Wednesday (Ma rch 15), 1391. Mobs flogged and beat the Jewish civilians to relinquish their religion and become Christian. The victims of that day amount to hundreds, if not thousands, of unsuspecting people (C. Roth, The Spanish Inquisition, 1964). Although the Jews had become Christian to avoid persecution, they still celebrated their beliefs in secrecy. In 1487, their behavior was discovered during Jewish Passover, which was the same week as the Holy Week for the Catholic Church. Thus, the Spanish Inquisition was founded to sanitize the ...