ABSTRACT
The Inquisition – or to give it its official name the Holy Office of the Inquisition against Heresy Depravity and Apostasy – was a series of extraordinary ecclesiastical law courts staffed by investigative judges whose mission was to find and punish those deemed guilty of heresy. Established in Spain in 1480 and Portugal in 1536, the Inquisition was originally created to rooted out alleged secret-Jews but, by the middle of the sixteenth century, its focus had widened to also include a range of other religious offences including the secret practice of Islam, Protestant beliefs, witchcraft and blasphemy. The surviving archives of the Inquisition offer evidence of how emotional outbursts could have serious consequences, leading ordinary men and women to face inquisitorial scrutiny and punishment. Likewise, the shedding of tears was seen as evidence of genuine repentance by the inquisitors.
