Inquisition

A short history of the Inquisition from the 13th century to 1834, focusing on its functioning in the 15th-17th centuries in Spain and in its colonies and spheres of influence. The conflict between the Church in Spain and the Conversos, who were regarded as insincere Christians, became acute in the mid-15th century. During the first decades after the establishment of the Spanish Inquisition in 1478, Judaizers, both Jewish and Conversos, were its main victims: e.g. in 1481-88, ca. 700 "Judaizers" were burned at the stake, either in person or in effigy. Relates to the ritual murder trial against Conversos and Jews in La Guardia in 1490, which was followed by the expulsion edict issued by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. Posits that between 70,000-100,000 Jews were effectively expelled from Spain following this edict. In the 16th-17th centuries, the Inquisition was considered a pillar of Spanish society. 1701 saw the beginning of its decline; it was finally abolished in 1834. (From the Bibliography of the Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)