Genocide Project

This book, The Inquisition in the Spanish Dependencies, explores the careers and social impacts of individual inquisitorial tribunals established in Spain’s outlying territories.

Chapter I: Sicily

• Establishment and Organization: The Spanish Inquisition was introduced to Sicily around 1487, primarily targeting converts from Judaism. The tribunal faced early disorganization, lack of funding, and significant popular hostility, leading to a temporary suspension in 1516.
• Activity and Conflicts: After its re-establishment in 1519, the tribunal became more efficient but remained a source of intense friction. It was characterized by financial mismanagement, widespread corruption, and continuous jurisdictional battles with secular authorities and bishops.
• Decline and Suppression: Over time, its secular business was circumscribed, and its spiritual activity shifted from Judaizing to Protestantism, blasphemy, and sorcery. The tribunal was ultimately suppressed by Ferdinando III in 1782.

Chapter II: Naples

• Popular Resistance: Naples successfully resisted the formal introduction of the Spanish Inquisition for centuries. A massive popular rising in 1547 followed tentative efforts to introduce the institution, forcing the government to rely on the via ordinaria (episcopal jurisdiction).
• Encroachment of the Roman Inquisition: Despite local resistance, the Roman Inquisition established a virtual foothold by sending commissioners and having accused individuals sent to Rome for trial.
• Suppression: Continuous struggle between the Neapolitan authorities and the Roman Holy Office persisted until the tribunal was finally suppressed by Carlo VII in 1746.

Chapter III: Sardinia

• Inception and Inefficiency: Introduced in 1492, the Sardinian tribunal suffered from chronic poverty and remained largely inefficient.
• Administrative Conflicts: Its activity mainly involved multiplying officials to grant them legal immunities, leading to perpetual quarrels with secular courts.
• Extinction: The Inquisition disappeared from Sardinia after the island passed to the House of Savoy in 1718.

Chapter IV: Milan

• Protestant Influence: Due to its proximity to Switzerland, Milan was seen as a critical front against Protestantism.
• Resistance to Spain: Popular and episcopal resistance prevented Philip II from introducing the Spanish Inquisition in 1563.
• Episcopal Dominance and Suppression: Under figures like San Carlo Borromeo, the episcopal and Roman Inquisitions worked concurrently until the institution was abolished by Maria Theresa in 1775.

Chapter V: The Canaries

• Development: Established in 1505, the tribunal initially focused on Judaizers and Moriscos but later shifted toward foreign heretics (English and Dutch sailors) and moral offenses like “solicitation”.
• Jurisdictional Clashes: The tribunal was frequently at odds with the local chapter and Audiencia.
• Suppression: It was suppressed in 1813, briefly restored in 1814, and finally extinguished in 1820.

Chapter VI: Mexico

• Establishment: A formal tribunal was installed in 1571 to address the perceived threat of Protestantism and secret Judaism among colonists. Native Indians were specifically exempted from its jurisdiction.
• Major Operations: The tribunal is noted for large-scale autos de fe, particularly during the “complicidad grande” of the 1640s, which targeted wealthy Portuguese Judaizers and resulted in massive confiscations.
• Political Role and Extinction: In its final years, it focused on repressing political liberalism and revolutionary figures like Miguel Hidalgo and José María Morelos. It was definitively suppressed in 1820.
• The Philippines: As a dependency of the Mexican tribunal, the Philippines had a commissioner who was often embroiled in conflicts with colonial governors.

Chapter VII: Peru

• Corruption and Inefficiency: Established in 1570, the Lima tribunal was plagued by internal corruption, scandalous conduct by inquisitors, and chronic jurisdictional wars with viceroys.
• Major Cases: It conducted extensive persecutions of Judaizers, most notably in the great auto de fe of 1639. It also pursued various “mystic impostors” and Quietists.
• Suppression: The tribunal was abolished in 1813, briefly revived, and finally extinguished following the revolution of 1820.

Chapter VIII: New Granada

• Arrogance and Conflict: Established in Cartagena in 1610, this tribunal became notorious for its domineering inquisitors, such as Juan de Mañozca, and its incessant, violent quarrels with both bishops and governors.
• Activity and Decline: It prosecuted sorcery among slaves and secret Judaism but declined significantly after the sack of Cartagena in 1697.
• Suppression: It was banished in 1811 and finally extinguished by the United States of Colombia in 1821.

The section on Mexico details the establishment and influence of the Inquisition in New Spain from its early episcopal origins through its final suppression in 1820.

Establishment and Early Organization

• Episcopal Inquisition: Prior to a formal tribunal, bishops exercised inquisitorial powers, conducting autos de fe as early as 1536. Notable early cases included reconciling Judaizers and burning a cacique of Tezcoco for human sacrifice.
• Formal Installation: Driven by a fear of Protestantism, a formal tribunal was installed in Mexico City on November 4, 1571. Native Indians were specifically exempted from its jurisdiction by royal decree.
• Expansion: The tribunal’s vast district originally included Central America, the Antilles, and the Philippines (the latter managed by a commissioner).

Major Operations and Persecutions

• “Complicidad Grande”: During the 1640s, the tribunal conducted a massive persecution of wealthy Portuguese Judaizers. Large-scale autos de fe in 1646, 1648, and 1649 resulted in significant executions and massive property confiscations.
• Religious and Moral Offenses: The tribunal routinely prosecuted cases of bigamy, blasphemy, sorcery, and “solicitation” (the seduction of women by their confessors).
• Notable Prisoners: High-profile cases included the Irishman William Lamport, who plotted an independent Mexican sovereignty, and the “mystic impostors” known as the Romero sisters.

Conflicts and Finances

• Jurisdictional Battles: The tribunal was characterized by its domineering nature, engaging in persistent, often violent quarrels with viceroys and bishops over legal immunities (fueros) and precedence.
• Wealth and Corruption: Despite initial claims of poverty to maintain royal subventions, the tribunal became extremely wealthy through confiscations and prebends. It famously refused to provide transparent financial accounts to the Spanish crown.

Political Role and Suppression

• Reaction to Revolution: In its final decades, the Inquisition shifted its focus toward repressing political liberalism and the independence movement. It prosecuted revolutionary leaders Miguel Hidalgo (1810) and José María Morelos (1815) for both heresy and sedition.
• Extinction: The tribunal was briefly suppressed in 1813 following the decree of the Spanish Cortes, restored in 1815, and definitively extinguished in 1820. Its assets and records were subsequently seized by the revolutionary government.

The Inquisition in the Spanish Dependencies by Henry Charles Lea provides a detailed historical analysis of how the Spanish Inquisition operated in Spain’s outlying territories, including Sicily, Naples, Sardinia, Milan, the Canaries, Mexico, Peru, and New Granada.

Key themes developed throughout the work include:

• Abuse of Irresponsible Power: The book examines the careers of individual tribunals, highlighting how distance from central supervision in Spain often led to even greater abuses of power than in the Peninsula. This is particularly noted in the American colonial tribunals, where officials often displayed a significant “capacity for evil”.
• Conflict with Secular and Ecclesiastical Authorities: A recurring theme is the incessant jurisdictional friction between inquisitors and other authorities, such as viceroys, bishops, and local magistrates. These battles often centered on legal immunities (fueros), precedence, and the tribunal’s aggressive efforts to extend its authority into secular matters.
• Financial Motivation and Corruption: The author underscores that the Inquisition was frequently motivated more by the desire for financial gain through property confiscations and fines than by genuine religious zeal. Many tribunals became wealthy through these practices while simultaneously refusing to provide transparent financial accounts to the Spanish crown.
• Influence on Colonial Policy and Development: Lea argues that the Inquisition contributed significantly to the failure of Spanish colonial policy by preventing orderly administration and exciting widespread disaffection. He suggests this “evil inheritance” heavily weighed on successive generations and retarded the political and industrial development of the emancipated colonies.
• Suppression and Evolution: The text charts the eventual decline and suppression of these individual tribunals, noting that while they were all finally extinguished by the early 19th century, their spiritual activity had often shifted over time from targeting Judaizers and Protestants to moral offenses and political liberalism during the revolutionary era.