The Spanish Inquisition: Its rise, growth, and end

This volume contains the following three books:The Rise of the Spanish InquisitionThe Growth of the Spanish InquisitionThe End of the Spanish InquisitionThis is an excellent collection of books on the Spanish Inquisition. I was afraid it would be mostly an exciting but gory recitation of the tortures of the Inquisition. There is, of course, some of that, but the main concern is with the history of the institution, so a lot of the focus is on the people in charge of the Inquisition and what they were trying to accomplish. The author makes no secret of her disgust with the methods and practice of the Inquisition but considering that it is overall a balanced account.There were Ferdinand and Isabella, who were trying to create a (relatively) large country out of several little countries and thought that somehow God would be more supportive of their efforts if they were more supportive of the Catholic Church – the only real religious option, as far as they were concerned, in their day. They also stumbled across the idea that they could confiscate the worldly goods of the heretics executed by the Inquisition to finance their various wars.There was Torquemada who made it his mission to persecute the Jews. The Jews had been earlier forced to either leave Spain or convert to Christianity. Those who converted were carefully watched, and when they secretly enacted a little of their real faith, they were sent to the Inquisition to be tortured, have their property confiscated, and finally burned. If they confessed their sins and embraced the Church again, they could be strangled before their bodies were burned so they would not have to endure the pain of burning.Then there was Ximenes who followed very similar policies with the Moors who were defeated in Granada. The loss of the Jews crippled Spain by taking away the main source of investment in the country. The loss of the Moors was devastating to their agriculture, as they were the ones who knew how to build the irrigation ditches needed to grow the crops the country needed to feed itself. But this didn’t seem to slow the Inquisition at all.Other Inquisitors followed, including one who was later arrested himself and harassed for a long time, although he was eventually released.The Inquisition limped along into the early 1800s, but the longer it went on, the fewer cases they had.There is a good depiction of the interrogation of one woman who was accused of ‘changing her linen on a Saturday’ and not eating pork. She kept asking just what the inquisitors wanted her to testify to – she hadn’t done anything wrong. But they wouldn’t tell her what she was expected to say. Eventually, they got the confession they wanted. Because she confessed and begged to be reconciled to the Church, they granted her this at an auto de fe.

Jean Plaidy or her other pen names, Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr etc. is a genius with history. She has written so many books that millions have enjoyed. This book is as great as all of her other books. The intrigue of the courts, the main characters, and the stories become real to your eyes as you read each book of past history in a way that is enjoyable and factual. She was truly a one of a kind.

This is a fairly comprehensive summary of the religious and civil institutions that were an integral part of the Inquisition throughout its history. Unfortunately, Ms. Plaidy was unable to refrain from occasionally snide commentary (esp. in the first of the three books) on the Christian religion when it is clear she is no theologian with any doctrinal knowledge. Most reasonable persons understand that the Inquisition is not a proud period in Western history, but the author would have done much better to attempt some objective explanations of the horrific behavior rather than simply rail emotionally against those involved.For example, from the first book, Ch.2, she states "It is extraordinary that these men calling themselves Christians could have set up laws which were in so many was the complete reverse of Christian teaching. '...faith, hope and charity, these three, and the greatest of these is charity.' What did these men think when they read such words as those? The fact is that they ignored them. They had rejected the simple faith, and had set up their own in its place. The only resemblance to Christianity it appeared to have was in the name."It would have been much more interesting if she actually delved into answering the question she posed rather than simply stating that they abandoned the Christian faith. It is highly likely that there are complex motivations underlying the Inquisition, not simply that the inquisitors and governments wanted to set up their own religion and steal from the poor souls that were caught up in the Inquisition. Thus, while the book is fairly comprehensive, I'd recommend looking elsewhere for a good history of the Spanish Inquisition.

A sad commentary on the human race. Unfortunately hatred of others' beliefs still exists today. Plaidy does an excellent job in showing the true cruelty and madness accepted by certain people in thier of quest of greed using their religious beliefs as justification for brutality.

Thank You!

This book was actually 3 books in one! It is great and Jean Plaidy who also writes as Victoria Hold and Phillipa Carr did a great job with a very sensitive subject. I have read it several times. I would highly recommend it!

couldn't get into it.

Great Book. Lots of information!

I'm most pleased to have found this book and that it is three jean plaidy books in one is even better , she's one of the best writers of both factual and fictional history and I love how she weaves both together sometimes . The Spanish Inquisition appears to be factual book