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The Portuguese Inquisition: a History of Religious Persecution

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The Portuguese Inquisition: a History of Religious Persecution The Portuguese Inquisition: A History of Religious Persecution Bianca Ferreira Department of History Thesis Advisor: Dr. Nina Caputo University of Florida April 10, 2019 1 Table of contents Chapter 1: Introduction 5 Chapter 2: The History 11 Chapter 3: Why was the Portuguese Inquisition Established? 25 Conclusion 49 Bibliography 50 2 Acknowledgements I would first like to thank my mentor, Dr. Nina Caputo, for her continuous help, encouragement, and guidance throughout this project and my undergraduate years at UF. I would also like to thank my parents and Ryan for all of their love and support for which I am immensely grateful. Finally, thank you to Dr. Jessica Harland-Jacobs, Luc, and the faculty of the History Department all of whom have educated and prepared me for my future. 3 Chapter 1: Introduction Thesis Intent/Abstract Portugal underwent many changes of its policy regarding the Jewish population, and their status, during the 15th and 16th centuries. For Portuguese Jews, their society went from acceptance to outright persecution. This thesis analyzed the history of the establishment of the Portuguese Inquisition. Through this analysis, I identified the specific causes that drove the creation of the Inquisition. In the first and second chapters, the history is presented to establish a basis of understanding upon which my analysis and conclusions in chapter three depend on. By the end, three major factors are presented that answer the question: What led Portugal to establish the Holy Inquisition? A look at the lack of Historiography The Portuguese Inquisition spanned over three centuries from 1536-1821and is to this day one of the pinnacle examples of religious persecution. One cannot delve into Portuguese Inquisition history without first acknowledging the issues within the historiography and its limitations. Hence, historian Jorge Martins presented Anita Novinsky’s paramount statement regarding Portuguese Inquisition historiography: I would like to remember here ‘in passant,’ a reflection of Theodor Adorno, that made me ponder to what extent it speaks to the very essence of Portuguese culture. The author said, “What does one do with the dead, is to practice what the past Jews considered to be the worst of all evils: to not remember them. In the face of the dead, the men release the despair of not having the capacity to remember themselves.” After the extinction of the Inquisition tribunal, after the advent of liberalism, there was a rock placed on 4 the memory of the Portuguese people, that erased, in large part, the image of the Jews in Portugal. The works of authors I refer to (Herculano, Remédios, and Azevedo) circulated only amongst elite scholars, it did not reach the Portuguese public of lesser education, nor were they adapted for the secondary schools and lyceums.1 There is a sense of duty, after reading Novinsky’s statement, to study and understand the history of those who died at the hands of the Portuguese Inquisition. Novinsky concludes that to forget those who came before us is to not understand ourselves. History makes up the world we see today, and it is imperative that it is studied as well as accessible. Thus, in this section I will outline various reasons why Portuguese Inquisition history research has been limited. I will also provide an introduction to the sources chosen for this project. Giuseppe Marcocci wrote an overview of Portuguese Inquisition historiography that details the barriers placed on this field in his Toward a History of the Portuguese Inquisition Trends in Modern History.2 Marcocci’s began his discussion with the declaration that: “One and a half centuries after the publication of the work that inaugurated the classic histography on the subject—the História da origem e estabelecimento da Inquisiçao em Portugal (1854-59) by Alexandre Herculano—a comprehensive history of the Portuguese Inquisition (1536-1821) has yet to be written.”3 1 Jorge Carvalho Martins, Portugal E Os Judeus (Lisboa: Vega, 2006), original Portuguese passage on p. 65; translated by me. 2 Giuseppe Marcocci, "Toward a History of the Portuguese Inquisition Trends in Modern His...," S.A.P.I.EN.S. Surveys and Perspectives Integrating Environment and Society, October 01, 2013, https://journals.openedition.org/rhr/7622?lang=en; This section basis much of the conclusions based on Marcocci’s work and will be referenced frequently. 3 Marcocci, Toward a History of the Portuguese Inquisition, p. 1. 5 In 1974, Portugal faced a democratic revolution, and with it brought free space in order to research the country’s history, including the Portuguese Inquisition. According to Marcocci, two different sections of the Portuguese scholarly movements began from the revolution. The first was driven by the Catholic Church officials of Portugal and the Vatican. As Marcocci clearly explains: On the Catholic side, an attempt was made to contain the risks of a wave of studies with anti-clerical overtones by means of erudite works and the publication of documents, accompanied by an eloquent insistence on attenuating historical circumstances to the detriment of an in-depth interpretation of available sources and well-known facts. 4 Catholic priests and scholars such as Isaías da Rosa Pereira, undertook the task of writing historiographic works of the Portuguese inquisition that “reveals a hint of apologetic overtones.”5 This type of scholarly research into the events of the inquisition is obviously problematic due to the downplaying of tragic events by the church in order to preserve its modern reputation. Priest Pereira’s work may have redeeming qualities, such as factual dates and description of the events, but he did not invite scholars to conduct further research nor did he encourage it. The second wave of the scholarship after 1974 pushed to make sure that Portuguese inquisition history is written without absolving the church of its crimes. Marcocci states that “…a new generation of scholars of different political orientation, all of whom had little interest in the old issue of whether to absolve or condemn the Holy Office,”6 emerged. The movement of new scholars used sources they had access to in the Tower of Tombo in order to create a better and factual overview of the Portuguese inquisition. Today there are many more articles, books, 4 Marcocci, Toward a History of the Portuguese Inquisition, p. 5. 5 Ibid, p. 5. 6 Ibid, p. 5. 6 and research published about the Portuguese Inquisition. However, this does not mean that there is enough. There is still a vast lack of work in this area that must be remedied in order for the public to truly understand Portuguese Inquisition history that impacted over five generations. A note on chosen sources The chronological work done by Alexandre Herculano, History of the origin and establishment of the Inquisition7, served as the fundamental source for Chapter two: The History. Alexandre Herculano is cited by many scholars as the father of the Portuguese Inquisition history. Credited for being a part of the liberalism movement in Portugal in the 19th century, Herculano wrote both histories of Portugal and historic novels. In his Portuguese Inquisition chronicle, Herculano accumulated an impressive amount of information from the 12th century to the establishment of the inquisition in the 16th century. Through his synthetic approach, and extensive research of the archival documents in the Tower of Tombo, he presented the history in its entirety. Herculano’s book has extensively helped in understanding the history of the Portuguese Inquisition. While I researched and studied many other renowned historians, Herculano’s work is incomparable to others in its extensive footnotes of countless documents described from the Portuguese National Archives, along with his analysis. Thus, his book was referenced frequently in Chapter Two: The History, as he is one of the few to present the Portuguese Inquisition history in its entirety. The compilation of primary source research within this thesis consists of sources found within both secondary sources and digital archives. Due to extenuating circumstances, I was not able to travel to Portugal, and thus my primary source research has been based on works I had access to. Despite any limitations, I was able to find and use multiple accounts of the 1506 7 Alexandre Herculano and John Casper Branner, History of the Origin and Establishment of the Inquisition in Portugal (New York: KTAV, 1972). 7 Lisbon massacre, legislative documents from various Cortes including one of 1481-1482, and Damião de Góis’ chronicle of King Manuel I’s reign. These sources served as the basis for Chapter Three: Why was the Portuguese Inquisition Established? Brief definitions of key terms: Crypto-Jews: Crypto-Jews was a name attributed to those who were forcibly converted to Christianity from Judaism but still practiced (or were suspected of practicing) Judaism in secret. This term was used during Inquisitorial trials and in documents to describe those suspected of heresy. Heresy: Heresy is an act or belief that goes against the faith of Catholicism. For instance, practicing or worshipping in unconventional and non-accepted manners, praying in different ways, or even praying to a different God would be considered acts of heresy. For the Portuguese Inquisition, practicing Judaism in secret, or practicing incorrectly, was considered an act of heresy. Marranos: Marranos, like Crypto-Jews, also referred to those forcibly converted to Christianity from Judaism, and still practiced Judaism. This term can be used interchangeably with Crypto-Jews since it was also used to discriminate and persecute those who supposedly still practiced Judaism. New Christians: The term ‘new Christian’ was used for those who were forcibly converted to Christianity from Judaism and their descendants. This designation was implemented to further alienate and discern those who were supposedly ‘Old Christians’ from those who recently converted. 8 Essentially, this term was a new way to make sure that even those who were converted to Christianity were still harassed and oppressed.
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