Institution

Spanish Inquisition

1478–1834 · 15th century · Also known as Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition

The Spanish Inquisition was a church tribunal under royal control, authorised by Pope Sixtus IV in 1478 at the request of Isabella I and Ferdinand II. Its first targets were converted Jews suspected of secret Judaism; it later pursued Moriscos, Protestants and other dissenters across Spain and its empire. Under inquisitors such as Tomás de Torquemada it held public autos-da-fé, and it was finally abolished in 1834.

Spanish Inquisition
Image: User:Di (they-them) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Crown of CastileGovernanceHabsburg SpainSocioeconomy

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Spanish Inquisition. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/spanish-inquisition
MLA
“Spanish Inquisition.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/spanish-inquisition. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Spanish Inquisition.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/spanish-inquisition.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Spanish Inquisition’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/spanish-inquisition (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻