One of the most controversial organizations in history, the Spanish Inquisition has been poorly understood by the general public. This period of religious persecution, which took place between 1478 and 1834, has historically been shrouded in myth and misconceptions. For despite popular belief, this organization was neither medieval nor exclusively Spanish in nature.
Read The Spanish Inquisition: The Truth Behind the Black Legend (Part I) .
Embarking of the Moriscos at Valencia, by Pere Oromig. ( Public domain )
The Treatment of the Moors During the Spanish Inquisition
The Spanish Inquisition was a dark chapter in history that saw the persecution not only of Jewish converts, but also of the Moriscos, a term used for baptized Moors. These Moorish converts from Islam were concentrated mainly in the kingdoms of Granada, Valencia and Aragon, and were suspected of secretly maintaining their old faith, despite having accepted baptism.
However, the policy against the Moorish community was different than that enacted against the Jews. The Moors, who made up a large portion of the nobility in both Valencia and Aragon, posed a formidable challenge to the Spanish Inquisition as pursuing them would have meant going against the economic interests of the ruling classes. Meanwhile, in Granada, the Spanish Inquisition was wary of sparking a rebellion at a time when the Turks dominated the Mediterranean.
Tensions reached a boiling point during the reign of Philip II in the mid-16th century, causing the…
