The Papal Inquisition was operating in Naples as a way of controlling the territory since the Middle Ages. Another force in this rejection was the strength of the Papal States. The explanation was that Spaniards were by nature more prone to heresythan Italians, so it was still considered unnecessary in Italy. The argument against the Inquisition was often one of outrage, not fear. However, it was considered an insult to place an inquisition in Naples, since ” they did not need an inquisition “. In fact, after 1492, the word marrano became synonymous with Spanish and Pope Alexander VI was called ” circumcised marrano “. In general, Italians considered the Inquisition a necessary evil for Spaniards, whose religion was questionable, if not false, after centuries of mixing with Jews and moriscos. Francesco Guicciardini, Florentine ambassador at the court of Charles I, he said that the Spaniards were ” apparently religious, but not really “, almost the same words as Tiepolo’s in 1536. Ambassador Soranzo declared in 1565 that the Inquisition had greater authority than the king. He also commented that the King of Spain favors it as a way of controlling the population. Another ambassador, Tiepolo, wrote in 1563 that everyone is afraid of his authority, that he has absolute power over property, life, honor and even the souls of men. In 1525, Contarini, the Venetian ambassador, said that everyone trembles before the Inquisition. The ambassadors of the independent Italian governments promoted the image of an impoverished Spain, dominated by a tyrannical Inquisition. Uprisings against the Inquisition in the territories of the Spanish Crown in Sicily occurred in 15 and mere rumors about the future establishment of courts caused riots in Naples in 15. An unfavorable image of Spain grew and, of course, ended up involving a negative view of the Inquisition. The growing influence during the 16th century of the Aragonese and after the Spanish crown on the Italian peninsula led public opinion, including the papacy, to see the Spaniards as a threat. Most historians attribute most of the weight to the Protestant and Calvinist origins, since in Italian propaganda the Spaniards were more often portrayed as atheists or Jews than as fanatics. Firstly, an Italian Catholic origin and, secondly, a Protestant background in Central and Northern Europe. Historian Kamen establishes two sources for the Black Legend of the Spanish Inquisition. As such,Įuropean image typical of the 18th century Inquisition. This construction, the Black Legend, turns a relatively regular or normal event – for the context – into an exceptionality in scope and nature, united to a nation. set a defined number of times, inquisitors were unable to collect blood, mutilate or cause permanent damage to victims so that the use of water boards was the most common method, as opposed to the fanatical devices portrayed in the advertisement, a doctor needed to be present (the most inquisitors did not believe in witchcraft, etc …) and finally fail to systematically mention similar actions by other institutions or nations). The mechanism of operation of the black legend taking into account the idea that: the Spanish Inquisition existed, it was a phenomenon of religious intoleranceand practiced torture, twisting it, mixing it with inventions and blowing it out of real proportion (reported impossible and unfounded numbers, which would represent a third of the population and impact the economy in ways that were not observed in addition to fanatical descriptions of torture machines and stories of sadism and mutilation of millions of people, often manufactured in propaganda workshops) ignoring or distorting the context (both religious intolerance and torture were common practices across Europe, and among the manifestations of this the Spanish inquisition proved to be among the mildest) ignoring any positive traits (it was the first judicial body in Europe to operate under a system and not the judicial default, torture was restricted to 15 minutes per session and allowed only to adults under very specific conditions for a period of one year. At all times, imperial nations tend to suffer … in the arena of public opinion, and Spain was no exception, becoming the first victim of a long tradition of controversy that chose the Inquisition as the most salient point of attack.
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