Catholicism and the Inquisition - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Catholicism and the InquisitionMelissa Alberts

Religion in SpainSlide2

History of Religion in SpainPrior 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 instabilitySlide3

The Domination of CatholicismCatholicism 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 countrySlide4

Religion and AcceptanceThere 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 non-ChristiansSlide5

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 InquisitionSlide6

Classifications of People in SpainOld 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 ChristianitySlide7

ConversosAs a result of converting, they now had the ability to participate more in societySociety 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 communitySlide8

MoriscosThey 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

Slide9

The Inquisition, its missionThe 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 16

th

century

After this, the focus of the Inquisition changed in its targetsSlide10

The Inquisition, its processWhen 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 gallowsSlide11

The Inquisition, the later yearsAfter the early 16

th

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 existedSlide12

The Inquisition and EuropeThe 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 yearsSlide13

Cultural ImpactThe 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 literatureSlide14

Spain and RomeThe 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 landsSlide15

The Catholic Church in SpainIn 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 ideasSlide16

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 populationsSlide17

LegacyIt 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 EuropeSlide18

Modern ImpressionsHistorians 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