A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 1Lea, Henry Charles
History
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 1
Lea, Henry Charles
Inquisition -- Spain
Yet in this perpetual activity of Ferdinand in the affairs of the
Inquisition it is to be observed that he confined himself to temporal
matters and abstained from interference with its spiritual jurisdiction.
In his voluminous correspondence, extending, with occasional breaks,
over many years, the exceptions to this only serve to prove the rule. I
have met with but two and these fully justified his interference. In
1508 the leading barons of Aragon complained that the inquisitors were
persecuting the Moors and were endeavoring to coerce them to baptism. As
they had no jurisdiction over infidels, he rebuked them severely,
telling them that conversion through conviction is alone pleasing to God
and that no one is to be baptized except on voluntary application. So,
when some had been converted and had been abandoned by their wives and
children, he ordered the inquisitors to permit the return of the latter
and not to coerce them to baptism.[738] The other case was that of Pedro
de Villacis, receiver of Seville, a man who possessed Ferdinand's
fullest confidence. No name occurs more frequently in the correspondence
and he was entrusted with the management of an enormous and most
complicated composition, in which the New Christians of Seville,
Córdova, Leon, Granada and Jaen agreed to pay eighty thousand ducats as
an assurance against confiscation. While deeply immersed in this the
tribunal of Seville commenced to take testimony against him. On hearing
of this Ferdinand was astounded; he expressed indignation that such
action should be taken without consulting him and ordered all the
original papers to be sent to him for consideration with the Suprema,
pending which and future orders nothing further was to be done.[739]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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