Spanish Inquisition

Ferdinand and Isabella• United in marriage as a way to unify

Spain and expand their power and control.

• Strong Christians and wanted to make everyone in their country Christian.

• Design

• Jews and Muslims were forced to convert to Christianity and monitored by the Inquisition.

• If they did not convert, if they were speaking out against the church (heresy) or guilty of another crime then they would be taken before the Inquisition and tortured until they confessed. Then they were often killed.

What was it?• State controlled tribunal, ran by Tomas

Torquemada, created to…– Investigate the sincerity of converts. – Enforced uniformity of religion. – Weaken opposition to the Monarchs.

• Laws were lax for many years allowing Jews and Muslims to practice their religions– 1568 Muslims rebelled = mass expulsions of

Muslims = strict enforcement of Inquisition.– 1560-1700 at least 50,000 trials

• Superstition, questioning church, sex, homosexuality, etc

Stages of the Inquisition1. Accusations : Read the “Edict of Grace”

after Sunday Mass.– If guilty you could step forward and

“possibly” receive forgiveness…had to turn in others.

– Did not tell those who were turned in what they were brought in for or who turned them in.

2. Detention: Locked away while case is examined.

• Sequistration of property (took your stuff) in order to pay for the expenses.– Makes a LOT of money for the church.

• To protect the “secrecy” of the process– Were not informed of why you were there– You had to remain in isolation.

3. Trial: series of hearings to “defend” yourself.

• Used torture to gain confessions. – 1. Stretching by suspending people by arms and

adding weights to their feet. – 2. Placed a cloth in your mouth and then forced to

ingest water…simulates drowning. – 3. The Rack! Strapped to a board at 4 corners

and slowly spread apart breaking bones and tearing ligaments until limbs pulled off. (also used hot irons and pinchers during this process)

4. Sentencing: 5 outcomes.1. Acquitted: not guilty…allowed to go free2. Suspended: not guilty or innocent. Could be

brought in and requestioned at any time without notice or explanation.

3. Penanced: “punishment” exiled or fined4. Reconciled: “forgiven” but had to pay the

price which meant jail or a whipping5. Relaxation: “freedom from sins” but were

killed by burning at the stake.

What is an indulgence?• An Indulgence is a remission, granted

by the Church, of the temporal punishment which often remains due to sin after its guilt has been forgiven.

• Note: the temporal punishment is what the purification in purgatory is achieving

What is Purgatory?• Purgatory is the state of those who die

in God’s friendship, assured of their eternal salvation, but who still have need of purification to enter into the happiness of heaven.

How can I help the souls being purified in Purgatory?

• Because of the communion of saints, the faithful who are still pilgrims on earth are able to help the souls in purgatory by offering prayers in suffrage for them, especially the Eucharistic sacrifice. They also help them by almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance.

Two types of Indulgences• “Plenary” indulgences remit all of the existing temporal punishment due for the individual’s sins. An individual can only earn one plenary indulgence per day.

• “Partial” indulgences remit only a part of the existing punishment.

Martin Luther

Who was Martin Luther?• Born in Germany in

1483.

• After surviving a violent storm, he vowed to become a monk.

• Lived in the city of Wittenberg.

• Died in 1546.

Definitions

ProtestTo express strong

objection

ReformTo improve by correcting errors

Problems in the Church

• Corruption

• Political Conflicts

• The Church raised money through practices like simony and selling indulgences.

Corruption

Advantages of Buying Indulgences

Go Directly to Heaven!• Do not go to Hell!• Do not go to Purgatory!• Get through Purgatory faster!• Do not pass Go!

Political Conflict

KINGS AND QUEENS POPES

Papal Schism

• In 1301, the king tried to tax the French clergy.• The pope threatened to excommunicate the king and so

was arrested. He was later released.• The next pope, Clement V, moved the headquarters of the

Church from Rome to Avignon in southern France.• Many people felt that the French kings controlled the

Church.

Rome Avignon

Three Popes!• The next six popes lived in Avignon. Pope

Gregory then moved the papacy back to Rome in 1377.

• When Gregory died, the French cardinals did not like the new pope in Rome, so they elected a different pope in Avignon.

• Later, a Church council elected a third pope.

Calls for Reform• John Wycliffe (1330-1384)

– Questioned the authority of the pope

• Jan Hus (1370-1415)– Criticized the vast wealth of the

Church

• Desiderius Erasmus (1469-1536)– Attacked corruption in the Church

• Luther criticized Church practices, like selling indulgences.

• He wanted to begin a discussion within the Church about the true path to salvation.

• He nailed his Ninety-Five Theses, or arguments, to the door of Wittenberg cathedral for all to see.

Luther Looks for Reforms

Protestant Teaching:Justification by Faith Alone

• The Bible is the only source of truth.

• People can read and understand the Bible themselves.

• Salvation comes only through faith in Christ.

Luther’s Bible

Excommunication

• Pope Leo X demanded that Luther recant 41 of his Ninety-Five Theses.

• Luther was brought before the Diet of Worms.

• In January 1521, Luther was excommunicated from the Church.

The Printing Press• Luther’s ideas spread

quickly with the help of the printing press.

• Luther’s supporters distributed copies of his speeches and essays far and wide.

• Millions of people sided with Luther against the Roman Catholic Church.

A New Church• Luther soon had many followers.• His supporters began to organize

a new Christian denomination.• Several German princes

supported Luther.• Lutherans and Catholics fought

each other.• The first wars ended with the

Treaty of Augsburg, but fighting in Europe over religion continued to the mid-seventeenth century.

Saint Bartholomew’s Day massacre

Lutheranism• Luther’s followers

disagreed with many of the teachings of the Catholic Church.

• They rejected the authority of Church councils and the pope.

• Reading the Bible was the only way to learn how to lead a good life.

Luther translated the Bible into

German

The Reformation spread to other

countries.• France and Switzerland:

John Calvin preached the idea

of “predestination” and that some people had been chosen by God for salvation.

• England: King Henry VIII refused to

recognize the Roman Catholic Church and started a new church, the Church of England.