The Spanish Inquisition: Beyond the Black Legend

Most of what we think we know about the Spanish Inquisition comes from Protestant propaganda. In this episode, Lucas and Luna peel back centuries of myth to explore what the Holy Office really was: a papal institution that operated for over 350 years, from 1478 to 1834. They examine its origins in the wake of the Reconquista, its procedures—far more legalistic than the popular image suggests—and its shocking decline under Napoleon. Along the way, they meet Grand Inquisitor Tomás de Torquemada, whose reputation was largely crafted by enemies, and discover that the Inquisition executed far fewer people than the secular courts of its day. But they also confront the real tragedy: the expulsion of conversos and moriscos, and the lasting damage to Spain's intellectual life. Drawing on recent scholarship by Henry Kamen and others, this episode offers a nuanced look at an institution that has become a symbol of intolerance—and asks what it tells us about fear, power, and the making of historical memory. #SpanishInquisition #BlackLegend #TomSDeTorquemada #Conversos #Moriscos #CatholicMonarchs #AutoDeFe #AlhambraDecree #SicilianInquisition #PapalInquisition #HenryKamen #Napoleon #Suprema #EdictOfGrace #1516 #History #FexingoHistory #Spain #SpainHistory #Reconquista Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo