Holiday Rentals in Spain to learn about the Spanish Inquisition

When on your HOLIDAY RENTALS IN SPAIN one burning question might just be what exactly was The Spanish Inquisition? The Spanish Inquisition is unquestionably a well known a part of Spain´s background and the subject of several works of art, movies, books and even comedy sketches.

The Catholic Church is commonly blamed for atrocities which happened but a lot of the cruelty was initially because of the financial avarice and politics of the Spanish monarchs. Historians also discuss the truth that many Protestant lands had similar institutions that have been just as repressive: for instance, the consistory in Geneva during the time of the reformer, John Calvin. So what was the objective of the Spanish Inquisition? It was established with papal approval in the country in 1478 at the request of King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella nearing the end of Muslim rule in Spain.

Centrally directed through the Supreme Council of the Inquisition, it was a religious court operated by Church government bodies but underneath the charge of the Spanish monarchy. Torture was frequently used to gain repentance and, if an individual was discovered to be heretical, they would suffer public humiliation or death. These punitive measures ranged from public shame to burning in the stake: after dead for individuals who repented, while alive for individuals who didn’t. These were carried out in public places events that could last all day long: the infamous autos da fe.

Initially, the objective of the Spanish Inquisition was to handle the problem of Jews and Muslims who, through strong coercion, had insincerely converted to Christianity. Later, throughout the 1520s, it switched its attentions to persons suspected of Protestantism. During the 15th century, Spain wasn't just one nation but a confederation of kingdoms, each having their own administration.

Ferdinand and Isabella eventually married, thus bringing together several independent areas into one and eventually pulling the Iberian peninsula under one ruling monarchy. A lot of the Iberian Peninsula was ruled by the Moors. The southern regions particularly were heavily populated by Muslims and also the bigger metropolitan areas were built with a high Jewish population. It was only a small sector of the peninsula that had remained under Christian rule. As the Castilian Isabella would be a devout Catholic, the Aragonese Ferdinand wasn't above using religion as a way of controlling his people. He wanted the Jewish and Muslim religions destroyed in the Christian name and for him the objective of the Spanish Inquisition would be a way of achieving that goal. There is additionally a strong financial motive: Jewish bankers had given Ferdinand´s father much cash for his war efforts and anyone found guilty under the Spanish Inquisition had their financial obligations destroyed in the courts.

The Pope of those times, Sixtus IV, didn't initially want the Spanish Inquisition established in the country whatsoever. However, Rodrigo Borgia, the then Bishop of Valencia, along with a cardinal lobbied Rome on his account. Borgia was effective and Pope Sixtus IV approved the Inquisition providing it dealt solely with the province of Castile. In 1481, Ferdinand and Isabella employed Tomas de Torquemada to research and punish conversos: Jews and Muslims claiming they had converted to Catholicism but continued to practise their former religions secretly. The authority of the Inquisition meant solely for Christian believers not Jews or Muslims but, since 1492, every Jew within the King's states was either baptized or eliminated.

Sixtus IV was unhappy at the excesses of the Spanish Inquisition and disallowed it to spread to Aragon. He alleged it was a ploy by Ferdinand and Isabella to confiscate Jewish property. However, Ferdinand was King of Sicily and many other kingdoms aside from Aragon and that he used this as leverage against the Pope threatened to withhold military support from the Holy See. Consequently, the Pope relented, giving the Spanish Inquisition his blessing.

The Royal coffers started to swell with loot from the Jews and Muslims. Pope Sixtus IV died in 1484 succeeded by Pope Innocent VIII. Innocent VIII supported the Spanish Inquisition totally and ordered all Catholic monarchs to extradite fleeing Spanish Jews to Spain where they might stand trial. Another thought while on your HOLIDAY RENTALS IN SPAIN when the French governed Spain during Napoleonic rule between 1808 and 1812, the Spanish Inquisition was removed only to be reinstated when Ferdinand VII retrieved the throne back from the French. It didn't end officially until 1834, 350 years after it started.

About Author

Book with the Owners Direct and save £££'s ...Akilar.com is Spain's most favourite Holiday rental portal for Apartments, Villas and Villas with pools, offering holidays from the owners direct, holiday rentals and holiday lettings in Spain. Book with the Owners Direct for your Spain Holiday Rentals and save £££'s ...

Contact Author   Author Website