![]() Ambassador Soranzo asserted in 1565 that the Inquisition had greater authority than the King. He also commented that the King favored it as a way to control the population. Another ambassador, Tiepolo, wrote in 1563 that everyone was afraid of its authority, which had absolute power over property, life, honor and even the souls of men. In 1525, Venetian ambassador Contarini said that all people trembled before the Inquisition. Revolts against the Inquisition in Spanish Crown territories in Sicily occurred in 15 and mere rumors of the future establishment of tribunals caused riots in Naples in 15.Īccording to the theory of the Black Legend, ambassadors of the independent Italian governments promoted the image of an impoverished Spain dominated by a tyrannical Inquisition. ![]() An unfavorable image of Spain grew that ended up involving a negative view of the Inquisition. The increasing influence during the sixteenth century of the Aragonese Crown and later of the Spanish one on the Italian Peninsula led public opinion, and the Papacy, to see the Spaniards as a threat. Most historians place the bulk of the weight on the Protestant and Calvinist origin, since in the Italian propaganda Spaniards were more often portrayed as atheists or Jews than as fanatics. Firstly, an Italian Catholic origin, and secondly, a Protestant background in Central and Northern Europe. Kamen establishes two sources for the Black Legend of the Spanish Inquisition. Typical 18th-century European image of the Inquisition. As such, the Black Legend of the Inquisition is created to demonize the other - Spain and/or Catholicism - and maintained as self-justification for those whose own deeds are overshadowed or ignored. In Kamen's view this construction, the Black Legend, turns a relatively regular or unremarkable event into something exceptional in scope and nature, attached to one nation alone. Supporters of the theory argue that the context was ignored: both religious intolerance and torture were common practices all across Europe, and among the manifestations of it the Spanish inquisition proved itself, according to the theory, among the most mellow ones ignoring any positive traits (it was the first judicial body in Europe that operated according to a system and not to judicial discretion, torture was restricted to 15 minutes per session and only allowed on adults under very specific conditions for a set number of times, inquisitors couldn't draw blood, mutilate or cause any permanent harm to victims so waterboarding was the most common method as opposed to the fantastic devices portrayed in propaganda, a doctor had to be present, (most inquisitors didn't believe in witchcraft etc.) and finally systematically neglecting to mention similar actions by other institutions or nations). The theory supposes that it was mixed with fabrications and blown out of proportion: the argument is that the number of vicims claimed would account for one third of the population and impact the economy in ways that were not observed moreover, the advocates of the theory point to the fantastic descriptions of torture machines and stories of sadism and mutilation of millions of people, and claim they were fabricated in propaganda workshops. Īccording to the black legend theory, the factual reality of the Spanish Inquisition was distorted, turning it into a phenomenon of religious intolerance in which torture was practised. in the arena of public opinion, and Spain was no exception, becoming the first victim of a long tradition of polemic that picked on the Inquisition as the most salient point of attack. Īt all times, imperial nations tend to suffer. Proponents of the theory see it as part of the Spanish Black Legend propaganda, as well as of Anti-Catholic propaganda, and one of the most recurrent Black Legend themes.Ī body of myths and legends that between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries, established the perceived character of inquisitorial tribunals that have influenced all subsequent attempts to recover the historical reality. According to its advocates, Protestant Revolutionary propaganda depicted inquisitions of Catholic monarchs as the epitome of human barbarity with fantastic scenes of tortures, witch hunting and evil friars. The Black Legend of the Spanish Inquisition is the hypothesis of the existence of a series of myths and fabrications about the Spanish Inquisition used as propaganda against the Spanish Empire in a time of strong military, commercial and political rivalry between European powers, starting in the 16th century. ( July 2018) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. The neutrality of this article is disputed.
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