The inquisition in the Spanish dependencies: Sicily—Naples—Sardinia—Milan—the Canaries—Mexico—Peru—New GranadaLea, Henry Charles
History
The inquisition in the Spanish dependencies: Sicily—Naples—Sardinia—Milan—the Canaries—Mexico—Peru—New Granada
Lea, Henry Charles
Inquisition
Meanwhile Pantolosa had prospered in Naples as a banker and had become
one of the farmers of the revenue. As a condemned heretic, however, all
dealings with him were unlawful to Spaniards. It was difficult to avoid
these in transactions between Spain and Naples and, in February, 1499,
the inquisitors of Barcelona created much scandal by arresting a number
of merchants for maintaining business relations with him, an excess of
zeal for which Ferdinand scolded them, while ordering the release of the
prisoners. Pantolosa seems to have held out some hopes of returning and
standing trial, for a safe-conduct was issued to him, October 4, 1499,
good for twelve months, during which he and his property were to be
exempt from seizure, dealings with him were permitted and ship-masters
were authorized to transport him and, on the plea that he had been
impeded, the safe-conduct was extended, August 22, 1500, for two years.
There was manifest policy in suspending the customary disabilities for a
personage of such importance, as appears from one or two instances.
When, in the autumn of 1499, Ferdinand’s sister, Juana, Queen of Naples,
and her stepson, the Cardinal of Aragon, came to Spain, they provided
themselves with bills of exchange drawn by the farmers of
revenue--Pantolosa, Gaspar de Caballería and others--on Luis de
Santangel, Ferdinand’s _escribano de racion_, or privy purse. They could
not anticipate any trouble in a transaction between officials of Spain
and Naples, but Santangel, also a Converso, had reason to be cautious as
to his relations with the Inquisition and he refused to honor the bills,
because the drawers were fugitive condemned heretics, with whom he could
have no dealings. Ferdinand was obliged to confer with the
inquisitors-general, after which he authorized Santangel to supply the
necessities of the royal visitors. Possibly in this case the association
with Caballería neutralized Pantolosa’s safe-conduct, but this
disturbing element was absent from a flagrant exhibition of
inquisitorial audacity when, in 1500, Ferdinand sent the Archbishop of
Tarragona to Naples on business connected with his sister, the queen.
Requiring money while there the archbishop sold bills of exchange to
Pantolosa and, when they were presented in Tarragona, the inquisitors,
apparently regarding them as a debt due to a condemned heretic, forbade
their payment and sequestrated the archiepiscopal revenues to collect
the amount. The bills were returned and were sent back with a fresh
demand for payment, when Ferdinand intervened and, by letters of July
3d, ordered the inquisitors to remove the sequestration so that they
could be paid and the archbishop’s credit be preserved.[104] It is easy
to understand how Ferdinand felt towards the Neapolitan asylum for
condemned Spanish heretics and banished Jews and how Naples regarded the
arbitrary processes of the Spanish Holy Office.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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