Week 17 Essay

          This week I learned about the Inquisition. This was an important event that spread throughout Europe rapidly. It was a method used to rid the Catholic countries of Muslims and Jews. I will also specifically discuss the Spanish Inquisition with a little bit on Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain.

          The Inquisition was made out of a group of priests whose job was to find and punish what the Catholic church believed to be heretics. To get rid of the “heretics”, they would forbid their teachings. If that person kept preaching, the church might even imprison and/or kill them. Also, the purpose of the Inquisition was not always to punish the “heretic”, but more to terrify the public so much that it would force them to not practice any other religion but Catholicism.

          The idea of Inquisition started in France, during the 12th century, and it quickly spread to other Catholic countries in Europe. Spain was one of these countries, and it was started by King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain. These rulers cared so much about their Catholic religion that they were even nicknamed The Catholic Monarchs!

          The Spanish Inquisition, led by the king and queen, specifically targeted the Jews and Muslims in Spain. Some of the Jews and Muslims joined the Ottoman Empire and became Muslims, and others fled to Portugal. However, they were not there for long because soon enough, Portugal created its own inquisition too! Some of the Jews and Muslims even stayed in Spain and converted to Catholicism, and Ferdinand and Isabella allowed this.

          The Inquisition was evil because everybody should have the right to believe what they want, wherever they want, but it was a major act of movement for Catholicism. It lasted for 7 centuries, and it finally ended in the 19th century. Even though I do not agree with the idea of the Inquisition, it did help create the Renaissance, which I am very excited to learn about next week.