Ferdinand and Isabella Religious Policy

Papal approval gained for a Spanish Inquisition: aimed to root out false conversos and eliminate heresy. The Suprema councelled the Inquisition. Several thousand conversos were executed as heretics in the next 20 years

1478

700 conversos burned by Inquisition

1480-8

The Granada War: after the Moors captured the frontier town of Andalusia in 1481, Spain launched attack on Granada, aiming to expel Spain of Muslims. The Pope granted the cruzada, funding the war. Granada fell to Spain's superior forces in January 1492, and although their victory was recognised across Europe, the problem of the Islamic minority in Spain remained

1482-92

From this point onwards the Suprema (council of Inquisition) was independent of Papal control and owed allegiance only to the Spanish Crown

1483

Cardinal Cisneros establishes the College of Santa Cruz, promoting clerical education and seminaries

1484

Pope granted Ferdinand and Isabella the right of patronato: gave right to appoint clergy in the Granadan church, establishing significant royal control over the Catholic Church in Spain, and also a Crown revenue opportunity, as they could take the revenues of the dioceses themselves. In 1508, this was extended to the New World and most places elsewhere in Spain

1486

The Expulsion of the Jews: Ferdinand and Isabella issued decrees stating that Jews must convert to Christianity or leave Spain within 4 months. Thousands of Jews fled, some travelling to the Ottoman Empire, where the Sultan welcomed them as economically valuable citizens

1492

Pope Alexander VI granted Ferdinand and Isabella exclusive rights to all Evangelisation (preaching Christianity) in the New World

1493

Revolt of Alpujarras: Moors objecting to Christianisation

1499-1501

The Expulsion of the Moors: the Islamic population of Castile and Granada (which was now incorporated into Castile) was told to convert to Christianity or leave. Most stayed, becoming Moriscos, but the sincerity of their conversion was much doubted. Ferdinand allowed the Aragonese Muslims to stay, as he knew that expelling the more numerous, richer Aragonese Moors would lead to rebellion

1502

Number of Jews fleeing Spain (Bonney's estimation)

Castile: 70,000 Aragon: 10,000

Drawbacks of Inquisition

Corruption: "this Inquisition is as much to take the conversos' estate as to exalt faith"

Appeals to the Papal Court

No further than royal 'chancilleria' in Valladolid

Cardinal Cisneros encouraged biblical scholarship by beginning work on:

Polyglot (multilingual) Bible

Aims of Religious Policy

Reforming Spanish Catholicism and the Church, and establishing a single faith in Spain