The Inquisition

The Inquisition was the institution of the Catholic Church (notably in Spain and elsewhere in Europe) tasked with identifying, prosecuting, and punishing heresy, often operating under royal authority. Though religiously motivated in principle, it frequently served political power struggles and could be deployed against religious or ethnic minorities such as Muslims and Moriscos through pretextual charges.

Claims that use this term

• The Inquisition deemed Postel insane rather than heretical
• The Inquisition chiefly served political power struggles, not religious goals.
• The Inquisition could be turned against Muslims via trumped-up proselytism charges
• The Inquisition defeated the manifestaci´on writ by concealing the prisoners’ location
• The Inquisition disarmed Moriscos due to their noble patrons’ politics, not their own acts