The Inquisition: Torture and More
Pope Gregory IX (on the left) and Pope Innocent III (on the right)
Many people associate The Inquisition with Spain and Portugal; it was actually instituted in Rome. Pope Innocent III, who ruled from 1198 to 1216, instituted the Inquisition. In 1233, Pope Gregory IX established the Inquisition. He established it to get rid of heresy of the Abilgenses, a religious sect in France. By 1255 the Inquisition was put to use in Central and Western Europe, but it was never used in England or Scandinavia. The whole purpose of these areas using the Inquisition was to get rid of heresy against their churches.
Heretics being nailed to wooden posts during the Inquisition
The Inquisition was a program that used church officials to investigate people who were suspected of not obeying the church. These people who didn’t obey the church were called heretics. Anyone who committed any action against the church or church beliefs was considered a heretic. Once they suspected someone was a heretic, the church officials would track them down and imprison them. From there, they were tortured and punished. They would be tortured until they confessed their sin, and then they were punished.
One of the most famous methods of torture: "The Interrogation Chair"
A heretic being tortured with a device called the "strappado"
Once a heretic was found, they had the chance to confess their sin. If they did confess, then they were punished. The punishments were very severe; they ranged from loss of property, to imprisonment, to death. A heretic was given 30 days’ grace to confess their crimes. But if a heretic did not confess, then they would be tortured until they did confess. For the heretics, there was no escape. The church officials said that these punishments were necessary to save the souls of the heretics.
The Inquisition of a Witch
The purpose of the Inquisition was to make people not go away from the church. The churches did this with their horrific torture and punishments, which were supposed to scare people away from becoming a heretic, which would make them become loyal to the church. This method of punishing the heretics can also help the church officials to find out from the heretics where other heretics might be. Once a heretic has confessed, they can promise to return to the faith, which is probably the best act for the accused people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjzZ-xD3pGI
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Works Cited
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