Ruthless Oppressors? Unraveling the Myth About the Spanish Inquisition

Authors

Drek Ortiz, University of North Florida

Volume

Volume V, 2006

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. J. Michael Francis

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2006

Abstract

From its inception to the present, critics of the Spanish Inquisition has characterized the institution as omnipotent and oppressive and highlighted its role in the expulsion, forced conversion, and execution of supposed heretics. The latter perception is misleading. Revisionist historians by the 1960s dismissed the latter portrayal and offered a more objective description of the institution. A careful analysis of Inquisition records and secondary literature reveals that the Spanish Inquisition was less powerful and more benign than previously characterized.

Comments

Presented at the National Council on Undergraduate Research Conference Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA April 2005

Suggested Citation

Ortiz, Drek, "Ruthless Oppressors? Unraveling the Myth About the Spanish Inquisition" (2006). All Volumes (2001-2008). 66.
https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/ojii_volumes/66