Seven Myths of the Spanish Inquisition

Gretchen D. Starr-LeBeau, Alfred J. Andrea, Andrew Holt

• Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.
• Year: 2023
• Edition: 0
• eBook ISBN:
  9781647921491
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: European History
• Index: History

"Gretchen Starr-LeBeau's Seven Myths of the Spanish Inquisition provides an excellent introduction to Habsburg Spain's most reviled and misunderstood institution. Drawn from archival sources and modern scholarship, this concise study presents the long and tortured history of the Spanish Inquisition in an accessible format for readers interested in the intersection of religion and jurisprudence. Addressing common misconceptions about the procedures, effectiveness, and reach of the Inquisition, this work argues convincingly for an updated assessment encompassing change over time and variations across Spain and its empire. Students of the early modern period will benefit from the volume's logical organization, glossary of terms, and suggestions for further reading."
—Benjamin Ehlers, University of Georgia

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• About this Series
• Series Editors’ Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Glossary
• Introduction
• Myth 1: From the Beginning, the Spanish Inquisition Was a Centralized Vatican Institution
• Myth 2: The Inquisition Only Tried Jews
• Myth 3: The Inquisition Only Existed in Spain
• Myth 4: The Inquisition Did Not Follow the Rule of Law, Procedures, or Evidence
• Myth 5: The Inquisition Was Notorious for Its Use of Torture
• Myth 6: The Inquisition Was Always a Death Sentence
• Myth 7: Fear of the Inquisition Stifled Thought and Inquiry
• Epilogue: The Slow Death and Long Afterlife of the Spanish Inquisition
• Suggested Reading
• Image Credits
• Index
• Titles of Related Interest Available from Hackett Publishing