The Spanish Inquisition

The Christian Inquisition was a tribunal held by Catholic Monarchs in 1481 to ensure that the Catholic religion would remain prominent in their kingdoms. There were three different instances of the Christian Inquisition: the Roman, the Portuguese, and the Spanish. It was originally put into place to make certain that the citizens who converted from Judaism and Islam remained faithful to the christian religion. Royal decrees were set in place in 1492 and in 1501 demanding that the Jews and Muslims either convert or leave completely; otherwise, the people would have to suffer the awful tortures set forth by the Spanish monarchy. The rulers of Spain didn’t want to put all Protestants, Jews, and Muslims to death but instead wanted to “discourage strong outward belief of other religions.” Many trials ended with the non-Catholic giving up his beliefs and being let go; although, there were some who were persistent in their faith and refused to go down without a fight. Those were the ones persecuted by the terribly gory tortures set in place. The people to be put to death by order of the Inquisitor, or judge, were not given a lethal injection or even a bullet to the head; those two options seem somewhat pleasant compared to what some of these people had to endure because of that they believed. The rack was a well-known type of punishment used in this time. The torturer would tie and shackle ropes and chains, which were attached to roller and either ends, to the hands and feet of the person. The torturer would crank a handle to turn the rollers in order to stretch out the subject’s body so that his joints were dislocated. If the turning continued, the person’s limbs would be torn off. Seeing this happen to the first man would often change the others’ minds about sticking with their religion. People were also hung from the ceilings and jerked up and down tearing the shoulder out of place and causing long-term ligament, nerve, and tendon damage. Edgar Allan Poe was