The Spanish Inquisition by Joseph Perez

The Spanish Inquisition by Joseph Perez

Few institutions in Western history have as fearful a reputation as the Spanish Inquisition. For centuries Europe trembled at its name. Nobody was safe in this terrifying battle for the unachievable aim of unified faith. Established by papal bull in 1478, the first task of the Spanish Inquisition was to question Jewish converts to Christianity and to expose and execute those found guilty of reversion. It then turned on Spanish Jews in general, sending three hundred thousand into exile. Next in line were humanists and Lutherans. No rank was exempt. Children informed on their parents, merchants on their rivals, and priests upon their bishops. Those denounced were guilty unless they could prove their innocence. Few did. Two hundred lashes were a minor punishment; 31,913 were led to the stake at public displays, the last a mad witch in 1781. The Inquisition policed what was written, read and taught, and kept an eye on sexual behaviour. Napoleon tried to abolish it in 1808, and failed. Joseph Perez tells the history of the Spanish Inquisition from its medieval beginnings to its nineteenth-century ending. He discovers its origins in fear and jealousy and its longevity in usefulness to the state. He explores the inner workings of its councils, courts and finances, and shows how its officers, inquisitors and leaders lived and worked. He describes its techniques of interrogation, disorientation and torture, and shows how it refined displays of punishment as instruments of social control. The author ends his fascinating account by assessing the impact of the Inquisition over three and a half centuries on Spain's culture, economy and intellectual life.

The Spanish Inquisition, a scholarly and vivid recasting of a painful era in which 32,000 innocent people went to the stake, is a salutary reminder of the potential savagery occasioned by religion-- John Cornwell * Sunday Times *
The qualities of concision and clarity make it a pleasure to read. * Times Literary Supplement *
Pérez is an established authority on the period ... and makes a convincing case ... Pérez's account of the Spanish Inquisition is a timely reminder of the desperate need for tolerance and unbiased intellectual criticism. -- Lucinda Byatt * Scotland on Sunday *

Joseph Perez is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Bordeaux and Honorary Director of the Velazquez museum in Madrid. His books include a history of Spain under Philip II and biographies of Ferdinand and Isabella and Emperor Charles V.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781861976222
ISBN 10	1861976224
Title	The Spanish Inquisition
Author	Joseph Perez
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Profile Books Ltd
Year published	2006-02-10
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable