Popularly the Inquisition became the name for various medieval and reformation -era state-organized tribunals whose aim was to combat heresy, apostasy, blasphemy, witchcraft, and …

Inquisition, a judicial procedure and later an institution that was established by the papacy and, sometimes, by secular governments to combat heresy. The name was applied to commissions …

Nov 17, 2017 · Beginning in the 12th century and continuing for hundreds of years, the Inquisition is infamous for the severity of its tortures and its persecution of Jews and Muslims.

In the first centuries of the Common Era, there arose beside the accusatorial system of Roman justice an inquisitorial (Lat. inquirere, meaning "to inquire") procedure that allowed magistrates …

Nov 3, 2025 · Inquisition history explained—from 13th-century origins to methods of enforcing faith; how heresy trials, torture, and fear shaped religious control in Europe.

The Inquisition, or Holy Inquisition, was the name given to a series of institutions and judicial procedures under the Catholic Church or clergymen serving secular rulers that emerged in …

After the mid-sixteenth century, the Inquisition's history was essentially reduced to Mediterranean Catholic Europe, south of the Alps and Pyrenees, where it had been reshaped into three …

Discover the origins and brutal methods of the Spanish Inquisition, established in 1478. Learn how faith, fear, and torture defined this dark chapter in history.

Jan 9, 2026 · Spanish Inquisition (1478–1834), judicial institution ostensibly established to combat heresy in Spain. In practice, the Spanish Inquisition served to consolidate power in the …

The Medieval Inquisition was a series of Inquisitions (Catholic Church bodies charged with suppressing heresy) from around 1184, including the Episcopal Inquisition (1184–1230s) and …