What does inquisition mean?

Inquisition means intense and harsh questioning that can be unfair. The word is most commonly associated with the questioning by the Roman Catholic Church of heretics. Heretics were those who had alternative religious beliefs or those that were not thought to be orthodox.

The most ruthless of inquisitions was the Spanish Inquisition that is infamous for its brutality and torture.

• The Spanish Inquisition

The inquisition was made official by Pope Gregory XI in 1231, but in the late 15th century, the Spanish Inquisition was established by the ruling monarchs, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, which was unusual because they were secular leaders, not religious ones.

The thinking behind it was to make Spain (or their united Spanish kingdoms of Aragon and Castile) have religious conformity, and to weaken local familial alliances and political authorities.

Mercurial profit was another motive because the government confiscated the belongings and property of those found guilty of being heretics.

It is thought by some historians that Ferdinand and Isabella managed to persuade the current pope, Pope Sixtus IV to sanction the inquisition because they threatened to withdraw their troops from Rome where they were preventing an attack by Turkey.

• Ethnic cleansing

The Spanish Inquisition was brutal and effective against any that were not Roman Catholic. Jews were brutally attacked, and in 1492, they were banished from the country or they were murdered. Many Jews converted to Catholicism in order to stay but they were not trusted and often attacked.

Spain also conquered Granada, whose population was mostly Moors, who were Muslim. They suffered the same fate as the Jews and were also banished or killed.

The late 16th century saw Protestants (mostly Lutherans) being targeted by the Inquisition, and it wasn't until the 19th century that the Spanish Inquisition ceased to be.