Why Was the Inquisition Introduced in Spain in the 15th Century?
The 15th Century was a very hard time for the Jewish people of Spain. The Jews were kicked out from the entire Iberian peninsula in the span of only one century. The Jews were first expelled from Spain in 1492, and later in the 15th century, expelled from Portugal in 1496. When given the choice of between conversion or death, many Jews chose conversion. These Jews became known as Conversos or "Crypto-Jews". They were the main target of the Spanish Inquisition likely because of their lackluster conversions. Their expulsion from Spain happened for various reasons. The main reasons for the Spanish Inquisition against the Conversos in 1942 were social-economic gains for the country as a whole, the monetary gain of a few, political gains, as well as anti-Semitism.
Although there are many different reasons why the Spanish Inquisition was instituted in the 15th Century, which is clearly demonstrated by various scholars, the forefront reasons are the social-economic gains for the country of
Yellow badge Star of David called "Judenstern". Pa...
Inquisition torture chamber
Seal for the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the In...Spain. There are many writings that, for the most part, are anti-Converso writings criticizing them for social-economic reasons. Many writings also include negative aspects of Judaism and religious practices of Jews, as well as the continuing religious practices of these "Crypto Jews". The emphasis of these writings about the Conversos is the detrimental economic effect they had on the country . In addition to the economic effects there are also many writings that criticize the social activities of the Conversos because of their two faced identities; a Christian in the street but a Jew at home . This attempt at trickery enraged the Christians when they found out the truth, and was an inspiration for many of these writings . In addition to this, the charges against...