Accused heretics standing before a tribunal of the Spanish Inquisition in Sevilla
Title
Accused heretics standing before a tribunal of the Spanish Inquisition in Sevilla
Description
Shortly after the publication of Martin Luther’s complaints against the Catholic Church in the early 16th century, Protestant religions rapidly spread across the European continent through printed documents as well as traveling preachers (Wiesner-Hanks 185). In many places, such as the Holy Roman Empire and France, the new alternative religions were able to spread due to favorable political climates (Wiesner-Hanks 185) and the growing discontentment with the Catholic clergy (Wiesner-Hanks 166).
Spain is a notable exception in this era as Protestantism never managed to gain a foothold. Staunch defenders of Catholicism, the Spanish government had recently gained experience in extinguishing non-Catholic faiths across the country. The Spanish Inquisition, originally formed in the 1480s, was tasked with suppressing heretical beliefs, which included investigating claims that converted Jews and Muslims covertly practiced their former religion (Weisner-Hanks 111). When the Protestant Reformation reached Spain, the authorities already had an organization prepared to meet this new threat. The Inquisition utilized its censorship powers to stem the flow of Protestant literature into Spain and punish people found guilty of holding Protestant beliefs (Kinder 63-64).
Although the Inquisition was designed to appear as a religiously motivated organization, it was controlled by the Spanish state instead of a religious authority, such as the pope (Weisner-Hanks 108). This enabled the Inquisition to targeting individuals for political reasons, sometime branding them as “Protestants” (Lynch 30). While the Spanish Inquisition was not the only factor responsible for preventing the spread of Protestantism in Spain, it certainly made a contribution (Kinder 62). The lasting affect of these institutions was to restrict the influence of other faiths on Spanish culture, which remains largely Catholic-centric.
Spain is a notable exception in this era as Protestantism never managed to gain a foothold. Staunch defenders of Catholicism, the Spanish government had recently gained experience in extinguishing non-Catholic faiths across the country. The Spanish Inquisition, originally formed in the 1480s, was tasked with suppressing heretical beliefs, which included investigating claims that converted Jews and Muslims covertly practiced their former religion (Weisner-Hanks 111). When the Protestant Reformation reached Spain, the authorities already had an organization prepared to meet this new threat. The Inquisition utilized its censorship powers to stem the flow of Protestant literature into Spain and punish people found guilty of holding Protestant beliefs (Kinder 63-64).
Although the Inquisition was designed to appear as a religiously motivated organization, it was controlled by the Spanish state instead of a religious authority, such as the pope (Weisner-Hanks 108). This enabled the Inquisition to targeting individuals for political reasons, sometime branding them as “Protestants” (Lynch 30). While the Spanish Inquisition was not the only factor responsible for preventing the spread of Protestantism in Spain, it certainly made a contribution (Kinder 62). The lasting affect of these institutions was to restrict the influence of other faiths on Spanish culture, which remains largely Catholic-centric.
Creator
Edouard Moyse
Source
https://www.europeana.eu/portal/en/record/9200579/z9cghdjj.html?q=spanish+inquisition
Kinder, A. Gordon. "Protestantism in Sixteenth-Century Spain." Mediterranean Studies 3 (1992): 61-70. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41166816.
Lynch, J. "Philip II and the Papacy." Transactions of the Royal Historical Society 11 (1961): 23-42. doi:10.2307/3678749.
Wiesner-Hanks, Merry E. Early Modern Europe, 1450-1789. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Date
1481
Contributor
Elliot Cahn
Rights
Free Re-use
Original Format
Etching
Citation
Edouard Moyse, “Accused heretics standing before a tribunal of the Spanish Inquisition in Sevilla,” HIST 139 - Early Modern Europe, accessed July 20, 2025, https://earlymoderneurope.hist.sites.carleton.edu/items/show/56.