The Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision

The Spanish Inquisition by Henry Kamen is a balanced overview of this sad part of Spanish History. At 300 plus pages the author shows the motivation behind the Spanish Inquisition and that this inquisition was just that, "Spanish." By sourcing Inquisition, Spanish, and other documentation author Kamen traces the roots and history of the Spanish Inquisition. He shows how this was a tool of the unified Spanish Crown that resulted in its own fear of it past and inability, at times, to deal with contemporary Spain, which came to be at the end of the Muslim domination of Spain and rise of the Protestant Reformation in the rest of Europe. The author does not gloss over the suffering it caused to both Jewish and Muslim converts to Christianity, but shows that overall people were better treated by "The Holy Office" aka the Spanish Inquisition than the secular courts. Remember, heresy was a secular crime, punishable only by the secular authorities. And while those Jews and Muslims who did not convert might be considered heathens they could not be heretics. So, those who suffered at its hands were Catholics. The author also shows that, for its time, the Spanish Inquisition acted rationally. For example, when the great witchcraft scare was dominating Europe and its colonies (lets not forget the Salem Witch Trials) for its part the Spanish Inquisition so this phenomena as mental illness or an overactive imagination. In other words Witch hunting stopped dead in its tracks when it got to Spain. Henry Kamen does not gloss over the torture or burnings of the inquisition's victims, but does show that for all of Europe, Catholic and Protestant, this was not uncommon for most crimes. And, many of the victims of the Spanish Inquisition were burnt and punished in effigy. Kamen shows how the Spanish Crown used the Inquisition to deal with its fear of an Andulus (former Muslim rulers of Spain) Fifth column and the rise of Protestantism in Western Europe. Remember Spain controlled a good part of the present day Netherlands and Belgium as well as Parts of Germany. So some Lutheran ideas did make their way to Spain. But, Kamen also shows that much of Spain, mainly the rural areas, was never even touched by the Inquisition. And that the Inquisition never had whole hearted support from the crown, those in positions of power, and the common folk. It was not the Gestapo like machine painted by many of its critics. But, criticized it should be and author Kamen shows the sad effects of the Inquisition not only on its victims, but on Spain itself. The author concludes by showing that people's view of the Spanish Inquisition is not based on the historical data available but on the imaginations of those who have not reviewed or studied this data. Overall a great work of history is this book.

Contrary to some prejudiced reviewers who erroneously think that Kamen is attempting to justify or downplay the Spanish Inquisition, this book is actually a major work of historical scholarship. It is fascinating to learn the real story of what happened (and yes, it is quite barbaric by modern standards, though not nearly so horrific as the Black Legend would have us believe) since the Spanish Inquisition holds such a place of horror in the minds of average people today, who don't read history books. The book is very long and erudite, but if you are interested in learning about the facts of the Spanish Inquisition, you pretty much have to read this book. As for putting to death the Black Legend, I'm afraid this book will do little, because mostly only scholars are going to read it. Certainly not anti-Catholics who twist history to suit their agenda.

Given the fact that Henry Kamen is Jewish himself, further adds to the objectiveness of this book. The spanish inquisition is often perpetuated as true when the members perpetuating it often have a very small understanding of the actual facts. Henry kamen, in this book, does a wonderful job of using facts and statistics in proving that the Spanish Inquisition was not what most people think. I would also like to recommend Edward Peters, "Inquisition", who as a University of Pennsylvania professor, expels the myths and continues to show the true nature of the Inquisition. Show how the myths started and continued to multiply to laughable numbers.Both books should be on the shelf of any objective person investigating the history of the inquisition.

An excellent book. Well researched and interesting, it provides an in-depth and historically accurate picture of the inquisition. It should be read by anyone who wants to learn about how myth and popular legend become accepted as historical fact.