Polemics and histories

The inquisitions faced opposition from many quarters, especially from Protestant polemicists eager to contribute to the so-called "Black Legend" of Catholic (and especially Spanish) cruelty and fanaticism. Catholic apologists responded with counter-claims of their own, and it would be centuries before historians could make much headway with more-or-less impartial analyses. A survey of the rich literature generated over the centuries as writers debated the true nature of inquisitions and their legacies can be found in the essay.

Essay: "Introduction to inquisition polemics and histories"

Though inquisitio was originally a neutral term for normative practices in Roman law, the significance of "inquisition" as a historical phenomenon would come to be very hotly contested over the centuries. For victims of inquisitorial justice and their sympathizers, it was inevitably seen as a cruel and unjust system. Yet [Read the complete essay]