Based on the provided documents, here is a summary of the sections related to the trial of Beatriz González, her daughter Leonor, and Isabel González:
Introductory Analysis and Historical Context
- The 1511 Investigations: The Inquisition reopened cases in 1511 in Ciudad Real, targeting Conversos who had previously confessed and been reconciled during the 1483 Period of Grace.
- The Accused: Beatriz and Isabel were sisters who fled to Portugal with Beatriz’s daughter, Leonor, to join Beatriz’s husband, Juan de la Sierra.
- Nature of the Trial: The women were tried in absentia primarily for fleeing, though they were also accused of continued Jewish practices after their 1483 reconciliation.
- King Manuel I’s Claim: A unique document dated September 30, 1511, shows the King of Portugal claiming Juan de la Sierra’s property as a guarantee for an unfulfilled business contract involving saltpeter. The Toledo Court ignored the claim and demanded the family’s extradition.
Evidence and Witness Testimony
- Confessions from 1483: Records show that Beatriz and Isabel both confessed in 1483 to observing the Sabbath, eating kosher food, fasting on the Day of Atonement, and reciting Hebrew prayers.
- Witness Accusations (1511):
- Witnesses testified that the women fled to Portugal out of fear of the Inquisition.
- Servants and neighbors reported they observed the Sabbath by wearing festive clothing, avoiding work, and preparing food on Fridays.
- They were accused of maintaining separate cooking vessels to avoid non-kosher food (specifically pork/bacon) and praying toward a wall while “Sabbath-swaying”.
- One witness claimed a black slave in the household kept bundles of branches intended for burning her mistresses because she considered them “great heretics”.
Legal Proceedings and Summons
- Initiation: The trial officially opened on July 10, 1511.
- Edicts and Rebellion: Because the women did not appear after being summoned by edicts read in local churches, they were pronounced in “rebellion” and “contumacy”.
- Excommunication: In October 1511, they were formally excommunicated with a ritual involving the ringing of bells and the extinguishing of candles, symbolizing their souls being “dead and cursed in hell with Judas the traitor”.
- Final Call: The court issued a final summons in May 1513, ordering them to appear by June 20 to hear their definitive sentence.
Sentence and Execution
- The Verdict: On June 13, 1513, the Consulta-de-fe (a council of theologians and jurists) voted to declare them relapsed heretics.
- The Punishment: The women were condemned to be “relaxed” to the secular arm for punishment.
- Burning in Effigy: On September 7, 1513, in Zocodovér Square in Toledo, the sentence was carried out by burning statues (effigies) representing the three absent women.
- Disinheritance: The sentence also included the confiscation of all their property and the stripping of their descendants’ rights to hold public or ecclesiastical office.
Torture was used during the Inquisition to compel witnesses and defendants to provide information or confess to heresy. Based on the trial records:
- Location and Conditions: Interrogations involving torture took place in a dedicated area known as the “chamber of torture” (camara del tormento).
- Procedural Use: It was employed to “justify the process” when an individual remained “negative” (refusing to confess or provide names) or when the court believed the person knew more about others’ involvement in heretical acts.
- Method of Compulsion: Before physical torture began, the accused was ordered to undress and was formally “required and admonished” to tell the truth about their crimes and those of others.
- Psychological Pressure: In some cases, such as that of Elvira González, the court used the threat of torture alongside physical weakness or illness to pressure the individual into confirming existing witness testimony.
- Impact on the Trial: Testimony obtained under these conditions, such as Elvira González’s confirmation of Jewish practices (Sabbath observance and praying from Hebrew books), was used as evidence to convict others, including Beatriz and Isabel González.
Torture was not directly applied to Beatriz, Leonor, or Isabel González because they were tried in absentia after fleeing to Portugal. However, torture played a critical role in their trial through the interrogation of a witness, Elvira González:
- Usage to Compel Testimony: On June 19, 1511, the Inquisitors took Elvira González to the “chamber of torture” (camara del tormento).
- Procedural Justification: The court used torture to “justify the process” because Elvira had been “negative” (refusing to confess or implicate others).
- Method of Pressure: While in the torture chamber, she was ordered to undress and was “required and admonished” to tell the truth about herself and others. The court also pressured her by reading witness testimony to her while she was in a “weak and sick” state.
- Evidence Obtained: Under this duress, Elvira provided damaging testimony against Beatriz, Leonor, and Isabel, confirming they had all gathered to observe the Sabbath and read from a Jewish prayer book. This testimony was then used as evidence to convict the three absent women.