Religion in Spain
Catholicism and the Inquisition
Melissa Alberts
History of Religion in Spain
 Prior to the reunification of Spain, the area was tolerant of
other religions, namely Judaism, Christianity and Islam
because they had no other option
 The expansion of Islam into the Iberian peninsula led to the
creation of separate Muslim areas with their own ruling elite
and laws based on Islamic teachings and law
 For the most part, all three religions were maintained on the
peninsula even with its political instability
The Domination of Catholicism
 Catholicism became the dominant religion in Spain with the
completion of the Reconquista
 The impetus for this was the desire of the King and Queen to
make the newly reunited Spain like the rest of the countries
in Europe which were strictly Catholic at this time
 In addition, the monarchy believed it would lead to cohesion
within society and lead to a better unified country
Religion and Acceptance
 There is an major misconception that Spain and its people
were completely intolerant of others
 The elite and the Monarchy were accepting of converts into
high positions of society
 The common people were less accepting and discriminatory
toward the other groups
 However, Spain as a whole discriminated against nonChristians
Society’s Response to Non-Believers
 Non-Christians were denied the right to participate in many
positions throughout the country
 The Jewish population was isolated into Jewish ghettos
 Originally, the Muslim population was better tolerated than
the Jewish population
 The Muslim population was a significant minority group in the
area while the Jewish population was a small minority group
 Over time, all non-Christian groups were forced to either
convert or leave the country
 For those who converted and remained in Spain, they had to
face the Inquisition
Classifications of People in Spain
 Old Christians – People who inherited
Christianity from their ancestors
 New Christians – Recent converts to Christianity
from other religious groups
 Types of New Christians
 Conversos – Jewish converts to Christianity
 Moriscos – Muslim converts to Christianity
Conversos
 As a result of converting, they now had the ability to
participate more in society
 Society still discriminated against them
 Suspicions arose concerning the sincerity of their conversion
 People feared Judaizing
 Judaizing is the practice of Judaism or the continuation of
certain Jewish practices after being converted to Christianity
 The Inquisition’s primary focus when it first began was this
issue of judaizing within the conversos community
Moriscos
 They were more willing to convert as a group than the
Jewish population was
 When given the option to either convert or leave, there were
restrictions on where they could go
 Restrictions led to many converting so they could remain in the
country
 The conversions were done en masse for entire populations of
Muslims in an area
 Once converted tensions decreased unlike with conversos
 Eventually this group was also subjected to conditions similar
to the conversos
The Inquisition, its mission
 The Pope formally allowed for the Inquisition in 1478 but no
Inquisitors were appointed until 1480
 At its inception, the primary focus was to find and eliminate
Judaizing conversos
 This was under the idea that it would allow true conversos to be
assimilated into society
 This was “accomplished” in the early 16th century
 After this, the focus of the Inquisition changed in its targets
The Inquisition, its process
 When the Inquisitors went to a city, they first posted notice
 People anonymously reported cases of Judaizing
 Those accused were brought in and told the accusations and
given the chance to provide proof of their sincerity to
Christianity
 Torture was used during this process to elicit a confession from
the accused
 When a verdict was reached, the decision was announced
through a ceremony
 If innocent, they could continue as they were
 If guilty, the punishment ranged from being reprimanded to
being condemned to death by burning at the stake
 There were levels in between such as forced labor and the gallows
The Inquisition, the later years
 After the early 16th century, the focus became individual
behaviors along with minor cases of heresy
 Sexual behavior was targeted such as homosexuality and
having sexual partners outside marriage
 Many in Spain thought of the latter as acceptable and the
Inquisition served as a means to change public opinion
 The Protestant Reformation was gripping Europe at this time
and the Inquisition dealt with heresy in the form of
Protestantism
 Protestantism made little headway into Spain and as a result few
cases of this heresy existed
The Inquisition and Europe
 The Inquisition existed in Europe during the Medieval period
but was under the direct control of the Pope and the Church
 Other countries in Europe also had their own Inquisitions
 The most notable Inquisition was in Spain
 The Pope granted permission to form an office for the
Inquisition to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
 The monarchy and the country led the Inquisition by taking
power away from the Pope and Church in Rome
 The official end for the Inquisition in Spain was in the 1800s
 Most of its actions occurred during the early years
Cultural Impact
 The convergence of the three religions on the peninsula led
to a unique cultural identity
 The Moors in the South brought their own style of dress, art,
and architecture which was adopted into Spanish culture
 The monarchy promoted Christian influences
 Literature focused on the Life of Christ and Christian ideas
 Art also focused on the Life of Christ and depicted it in various
ways
 With the Inquisition and the expulsions, cultural influences
changed
 The Office banned certain works of literature
Spain and Rome
 The Pope was the head of the Catholic Church and as a result
held the right to appoint officials within the Church and
collect money from its holdings
 Ferdinand and Isabella pursued interests in Rome to gain
control over the area
 After some time, their power was so great they were
declared the “Catholic Kings” and gained patronato real
 This gave the King the right to appoint Church offices on the
peninsula and collect money from Church lands
The Catholic Church in Spain
 In the early years of Spain with the Inquisition, the Church
was much like it was during medieval times
 It was influenced by local traditions
 The Counter-Reformation and the Council of Trent changed
the Church into its modern form
 The Church was able to separate itself from Rome and gain
control of its own actions in Spain
 This separation allowed the monarchy to impose the counter-
reformation and the edicts from Trent
 These changes standardized the Church throughout Spain and
made it more consistent with universal Catholic beliefs as
opposed to local ideas
The Spanish Church in the Spanish
Empire
 The Church had the right to take its own actions throughout
the Empire without interference from Rome
 Missionaries went to the New World to set up missions and
convert the native populations
Legacy
 It is believed that the idea that the rulers of a country could
dictate the beliefs of their people originated with the actions
of the Spanish monarchs
 This idea was carried through Europe and was used to settle
religious conflicts
 The Inquisition is believed to be a harsh policy
 Spain is seen as a totally Catholic country which was
impervious to the religious upheaval in the rest of Europe
Modern Impressions
 Historians have different ideas why the Inquisition originally
began in Spain
 There are some that believe that its sole aim was to purify the
Church
 There are others who believe that it was an ethnic crusade
against the non-Spanish and was the attempt of the monarchy to
solidify power
 Almost all historians agree that the extent of the Inquisition
is greatly exaggerated
 New thought believes that the expulsions and the censorship
from the Inquisition culturally stunted the country