The Spanish Inquisition has never ceased to be of interest to social scientists. The body of literature concerning it grows ceaselessly year after year. This is explained by the Inquisition’s significant impact on the past and on the contemporary imagination, as well as by the richness of its documentary sources for the study of mentalities, the exercise of power, royal patronage, and social behaviors, among many other topics.
What was the historical context that gave rise to the Inquisition? How did it function? What were the scope and limitations of the inquisitorial officials’ actions? How did the inquisitors’ conduct evolve over time? These are the key questions which this valuable new edited volume effectively addresses.
This book comprises an introduction and fourteen essays, grouped into three sections: “Institution,” “Targets,” and “Geographical Reach.” The first section opens with an essay titled “Procedures and Goals” by the editor of the volume, Lu Ann Homza, who examines the influence of the medieval Inquisition on its Spanish successor and proposes that both institutions were grounded in Roman legal procedures. She also defines the concept of “heresy” within Christianity and explores how the popes and monarchs of medieval Europe sought to eradicate religious dissent. Finally, the essay outlines the institutional evolution of the Spanish Inquisition from 1478 onwards and analyzes the judicial processes that eventually became standardized. For her part, Kimberly Lynn insightfully explores the careers of inquisitorial officials. She argues that, for some, service in the Tribunal was a transitional step in their professional lives, whereas, for others, it represented lifelong employment and an opportunity to build a vast social network of power and patronage. Meanwhile, José Luis Loriente Torres analyzes the discursos de la vida of the accused—that is, the statements they presented to their judges during the initial hearing—proposing that these accounts were shaped by the sacrament of penance. Both in these discursos de la vida and in many other texts produced by the Inquisition, one frequently encounters references to escándalos—events that caused a public stir or gave offense to others. Escándalos involving Tribunal officials could arise from administrative mismanagement or personal conduct; inquisitors and priests were also censured for their sexual behavior. All these behaviors are addressed by Lu Ann Homza and Amanda L. Scott.
The second part of the book deals with the social groups targeted by the Inquisition’s surveillance and the practice of censorship. Gretchen D. Starr-Lebeau focuses on conversos; Stephanie M. Cavanaugh, on the moriscos; Jessica J. Fowler, on the alumbrados, while Doris Moreno-Martínez analyzes Protestants, and Cristian Berco studies Old Christians. Given the constraints of this review, it is not possible to discuss each of these valuable essays in detail; however, I would like to pause briefly on Fowler’s contribution, which offers a highly original perspective on the phenomenon of alumbradismo in Spain and the Americas. Much has been written about the alumbrados in colonial Spanish America, yet often without solid evidence. As Fowler aptly explains, alumbradismo was a construct of the inquisitors themselves, and its historical antecedents cannot be documented outside of inquisitorial sources. I cannot share the same enthusiasm for Patricia W. Manning’s essay, which would have benefited from a more organized presentation of ideas regarding the mechanics of inquisitorial textual censorship.
The Council of the Supreme and General Inquisition, based in Madrid, oversaw an extensive network of tribunals across the vast domains of the Spanish Empire. The third part of the book is precisely dedicated to study four of these district tribunals: Sicily (Marina Torres Arce); Mexico (María Jesús Zamora Calvo); Peru (Ana E. Schaposchnik); and Cartagena de Indias (Ana María Díaz Burgos). Writing the history of a tribunal within the span of a few pages is no easy task. Of the aforementioned essays, Schaposchnik’s is the most successful, as it offers a comprehensive picture of the institution’s history and its evolution over time. Given that the tribunals shared similar objectives, I wonder if it might have been more interesting to highlight their unique characteristics, which would have avoided some repetitive ideas. Two points deserve mention. From the second half of the sixteenth century until its abolition, the Inquisition was governed primarily by the doctrine established by the Council of Trent. Consequently, solicitation in the confessional was punishable not so much because it caused a scandal, but because it contravened Tridentine norms. Furthermore, in my careful study of the extensive documentary corpus regarding the Lima Tribunal held at the National Historical Archive in Madrid, I have never encountered the noun witch (bruja).
Taken as a whole, this book serves as a valuable reference for the study and understanding of the Inquisition in the Spanish Empire. The history of the Inquisition never ceases to surprise us and offers up multiple avenues for subsequent.
