Tomas de Torquemada
The grand Inquisitor of the Inquisition in Spain
For many years before the Inquisition was established in Spain, Tomas de Torquemada spent his life in the monastery, dedicated to his service to God. His zealous advocacy for church orthodoxy and close relationship with Queen Isabelle helped Torquemada gain the position of Grand Inquisitor, a position he thoroughly enjoyed.
Torquemada’s life before the Inquisition
Tomas de Torquemada, like his uncle the Cardinal Juan de Torquemada, was born and raised in Valladolid and entered the local Dominican monastery of San Pablo at a very young age. As a zealous advocate for church orthodoxy, Torquemada “earned a solid reputation for the triple virtues of learning, piety, and austerity,” says John Longhurst (87). As a result, he was chosen to be prior of the monastery of Santa Cruz at Segovia.
During this time, Torquemada met the young Princess Isabella I and the two immediately established good relations. For a number of years, Torquemada served as her regular confessor and personal advisor. He was present at Isabella’s coronation in 1474, and remained her closest ally and supporter. Torquemada even “advised her to marry King Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469 in order to consolidate their kingdoms and form a power base that he could draw upon for his own purposes,” says Anthony Bruno.
The establishment of the Holy Office of the Inquisition
The increasing religious influence and economic domination of the Jews in Spain became an increasing concern to Torquemada. He firmly believed the Jews were undermining the Sovereigns’ power and, more importantly, the Catholic religion. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella readily agreed with him, and so implored Pope Sixtus IV to grant their request for a Holy Office to administer an inquisition in Spain. The pope granted their request, and so the Holy Office was established late in the year of 1478.
Torquemada as Grand Inquisitor
The pope appointed a number of inquisitors for the Spanish Kingdoms early in the year of 1482. Torquemada was one of them. The next year, he was named Grand Inquisitor. He was now free to pursue his goals.
Torquemada’s quest was to rid Spain of all heresy. Jewish conversos and marranos (Jews who converted to Chrisianity, but continued practiced their religion in secret) all fell prey to his fanatical hunt for heretics. Torquemada and his followers accused the marranos of proselytizing to Christian communities. Consequently, Torquemada urged all Catholics to spy on the marranos. Conversos, too, became victims of Torquemada’s wrath.
In the fifteen years of his administration in the Spanish Inquisition, Torquemada accomplished much. The Inquisition grew from the single tribunal in Seville to a network of twenty four Holy Offices that covered the entirety of the Iberian Peninsula. No Jew, regardless of position in society, was exempt from prosecution.
Torquemada, for the first while, improved the procedures of previous inquisitions by moderating the use of torture. Torture was only used against those accused who were denounced by two or more people of good nature. The use of torture was intensified only if the accused refused to confess. However, Torquemada showed no mercy to those who refused to repent. Many Jews were throne into prison and remained there until their death. Many others were either publicly beheaded or burned at the stake. Those condemned to death were forced to wear a sambenito, a black cloak that had designs of hell’s flames or sometimes demons, dragons and snakes engraved on it.
Sholars disagree over how many people Torquemada executed during his reign as Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition. Some scholars believe that he was responsible for the death of 2,000 Jews. Pulgar, Queen Isabella’s secretary, wrote that 2,000 executions took place throughout the entirety of her reign which extended well beyond the death of Torquemada. How many Jews Torquemada actually killed no one will ever know.
Sources
Bruno, Anthony, “Torquemada and the Spanish Inquisition.” http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/mass/torquemada/2.html(accessed 20 January 2009).
Longhurst, John E. The Age of Torquemada. Lawrence, Kansas: Coronada Press, 1964.
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