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The History of the Inquisition of Spain from the Time of its Establishment to the Reign of Ferdinand VII.Llorente, Juan Antonio

History

The History of the Inquisition of Spain from the Time of its Establishment to the Reign of Ferdinand VII.

Name: The History of the Inquisition of Spain from the Time of its Establishment to the Reign of Ferdinand VII.
Author: Llorente, Juan Antonio

Llorente, Juan Antonio

Inquisition -- Spain

In 1797, the Inquisitors of Grenada removed the confessional of the
convent of the nuns of St. Paul, which was under the immediate direction
of the archbishop: the ecclesiastical governor of the archbishopric
complained to the king. The minister of justice, Don Gaspar Melchior de
Jovellanos, resolved to take advantage of this event; he addressed
himself to the Archbishop of Burgos, inquisitor-general, to the Bishops
of Huesca, Tuy, Placentia, Osma, Avila, and to Don Joseph Espiga, the
king's almoner, and requested them to propose "whatever they thought
most proper to correct the abuses committed in the holy office, and to
destroy the false principles on which that tribunal founded all its
measures." The archbishop (as may be supposed) sent notes favourable to
the tribunal; those of all the others were of quite an opposite nature.
This attempt, however, did not lead to any satisfactory result:
Jovellanos quitted the ministry before Charles IV. had decided on the
subject; the minister who succeeded him had other views, and Jovellanos
was denounced on suspicion of heresy.


_Of the Magistrates who were persecuted._

The examples which have been given of the quarrels between the
Inquisition and the civil tribunals, sufficiently prove the constant
attention of the inquisitors in endeavouring to extend their influence
and privileges, even in defiance of the sovereign power; yet a list of
the persecuted magistrates may be useful and interesting.

_Almodovar_ (Don Christopher Ximenez de Gongora, duke of). He was
ambassador to the Court of Vienna, and published a work _on the
Establishments of the European Nations beyond Sea_. This book is only a
free translation of that of the Abbé Raynal. He concealed his name
under that of _Eduardo Malo de Luque_, which is the anagram of El Duque
de Almodovar. He presented some copies of his book to the king, but
though he had taken this precaution, and had suppressed some articles,
he was denounced to the Inquisition as being tinctured with the opinions
of the incredulous philosophers. The inquisitors endeavoured to find out
how the duke conversed in society with learned men; but they did not
learn enough to authorize an accusation, as it almost always happened,
during the reigns of Charles III. and Charles IV., when they wished to
attack the literati.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

The History of the Inquisition of Spain from the Time of its Establishment to the Reign of Ferdinand VII.Llorente, Juan Antonio

History

The History of the Inquisition of Spain from the Time of its Establishment to the Reign of Ferdinand VII.

Llorente, Juan Antonio

Inquisition -- Spain

In 1797, the Inquisitors of Grenada removed the confessional of the
convent of the nuns of St. Paul, which was under the immediate direction
of the archbishop: the ecclesiastical governor of the archbishopric
complained to the king. The minister of justice, Don Gaspar Melchior de
Jovellanos, resolved to take advantage of this event; he addressed
himself to the Archbishop of Burgos, inquisitor-general, to the Bishops
of Huesca, Tuy, Placentia, Osma, Avila, and to Don Joseph Espiga, the
king's almoner, and requested them to propose "whatever they thought
most proper to correct the abuses committed in the holy office, and to
destroy the false principles on which that tribunal founded all its
measures." The archbishop (as may be supposed) sent notes favourable to
the tribunal; those of all the others were of quite an opposite nature.
This attempt, however, did not lead to any satisfactory result:
Jovellanos quitted the ministry before Charles IV. had decided on the
subject; the minister who succeeded him had other views, and Jovellanos
was denounced on suspicion of heresy.


_Of the Magistrates who were persecuted._

The examples which have been given of the quarrels between the
Inquisition and the civil tribunals, sufficiently prove the constant
attention of the inquisitors in endeavouring to extend their influence
and privileges, even in defiance of the sovereign power; yet a list of
the persecuted magistrates may be useful and interesting.

_Almodovar_ (Don Christopher Ximenez de Gongora, duke of). He was
ambassador to the Court of Vienna, and published a work _on the
Establishments of the European Nations beyond Sea_. This book is only a
free translation of that of the Abbé Raynal. He concealed his name
under that of _Eduardo Malo de Luque_, which is the anagram of El Duque
de Almodovar. He presented some copies of his book to the king, but
though he had taken this precaution, and had suppressed some articles,
he was denounced to the Inquisition as being tinctured with the opinions
of the incredulous philosophers. The inquisitors endeavoured to find out
how the duke conversed in society with learned men; but they did not
learn enough to authorize an accusation, as it almost always happened,
during the reigns of Charles III. and Charles IV., when they wished to
attack the literati.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The History of the Inquisition of Spain from the Time of its Establishment to the Reign of Ferdinand VII.

The History of the Inquisition of Spain from the Time of its Establishment to the Reign of Ferdinand VII.

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