Based on the provided documents, here is a summary of the various sections regarding the trial of María González:
Introductory Overview
- Background: María González, daughter of Beatriz Alonso, was accused of being a Judaizer by Lucía Fernández.
- Trial Structure: Her legal proceedings occurred in two parts: the first from 1511 to 1512 resulting in life imprisonment, and a 1513 reopening led by prosecutor Martín Jiménez to prove she had perjured herself during her initial confession.
- Final Outcome: After retracting parts of her confession, she was condemned by a consulta-de-fe and handed over to the Secular Arm to be burnt at the stake on September 7, 1513.
Initial Proceedings and Arrest (June 1511)
- Arraignment: On June 4, 1511, the prosecutor requested María’s arrest based on records from the Holy Office indicating she practiced Jewish rites.
- Witness Presentation: The prosecutor presented depositions from Mencía (Lucía) Fernández and Catalina González.
- Arrest: The inquisitor ordered her arrest and the sequestration of her assets; she was brought to prison in Ciudad Real on June 11, 1511.
Genealogy and Admonitions (July – August 1511)
- Family History: María provided her genealogy, noting her parents were Fernando de Mérida and Beatriz Alonso, both previously reconciled by the Inquisition.
- Admonitions: The court issued three formal admonitions (July 28, July 30, and August 7) urging her to confess her sins against the Catholic faith to receive mercy.
- Initial Confession: She initially claimed innocence of heresy, only admitting to minor incidents like frying stuffed sardines on a Friday and refusing to keep a religious tablet in her home.
Formal Arraignment and Detailed Confessions (August – September 1511)
- The Prosecution’s Charges: On August 25, the prosecutor formally accused her of observing the Sabbath, lighting ritual lamps, purging meat of fat (Jewish style), and showing contempt for images of the Virgin Mary.
- Confession of Rites: María confessed to observing many Sabbaths in secret, wearing clean clothes, lighting lamps with new wicks, and avoiding work on those days.
- Naming Accomplices: She implicated several other women—including Juana Núñez, Inés López, and Gracia de Teva—stating they practiced these rites together.
- Desecration: She admitted to throwing a religious tablet into a sewer and spitting on it because her aunt, Inés López, told her the Law of Moses was the only truth.
Evidence and Publication (November 1511 – April 1512)
- Witness Testimony: Depositions from Lucía Fernández and Catalina González detailed María’s Jewish practices, such as ritual bathing on Friday nights and removing “the little gland” from legs of mutton.
- Court Procedures: The prosecutor moved for the publication of witness testimonies (with names withheld), and María’s defense counsel requested the witnesses be identified—a request the court denied to maintain secrecy.
Torture and Expanded Implications (March – June 1512)
- Decision to Torture: On March 30, 1512, because the court believed she was withholding the names of accomplices, she was sentenced to torture.
- Confession Under Threat: Before torture began, she offered to tell the truth and named a vast network of individuals in Ciudad Real who allegedly gathered to Judaize, specifically naming her mother, Beatriz Alonso, and her husband, Pedro de Villarreal.
- Sentencing: On August 16, 1512, she was sentenced to one year in “perpetual” prison and required to wear a sanbenito.
Trial Renewal, Retractions, and Execution (1513)
- Re-examination: In July 1513, the court questioned her again regarding her previous testimony against others.
- Torture Applied: On July 19, 1513, she was subjected to the “water torture” (the jarro de agua) while tied to a ladder.
- Retraction: During and after torture, she revoked many of her accusations, stating she had named women like the wife of Rodrigo de Chillón and the wife of Fernando de Córdoba out of “capital enmity” and hatred because they had mistreated her or caused trouble in her marriage.
- Final Sentence: Because she retracted her testimony and was deemed a “false, simulated, and diminished” confessant who had perjured herself, the court condemned her to the Secular Arm. She was executed on September 7, 1513.
