The Spanish Inquisition (Historical Association Studies) [Paperback]

Helen Rawlings (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0631206000 | ISBN-13: 978-0631206002 | Publication Date: July 11, 2005 | Edition: 1

This book challenges the reputation of the Spanish Inquisition as an instrument of religious persecution, torture and repressionand looks at its wider role as an educative force in society.

• A reassessment of the history of the Spanish Inquisition.
  
• Challenges the reputation of the Inquisition as an instrument of religious persecution, torture and repression.
  
• Looks at the wider role of the Inquisition as an educative force in society.
  
• Draws on the findings of recent research by American, British and European scholars.
  
• Includes original documentary evidence in translation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Helen Rawlings combines a thoughtful reading of the vast secondary literature on the Spanish Inquisition with an adroit deployment of samples from the sources and with formidable statistical information. The Spanish Inquisition is a thorough, balanced, and insightful rendering of one of the most controversial topics in history. An excellent book!" Teofilo F Ruiz, University of California, Los Angeles

"Offers insights into a much mythologised and maligned phenomenon and, historiographically, it's bang up to date."
BBC History Magazine

"Helen Rawling's The Spanish Inquisition is an excellent introduction to this complex and controversial subject." H-Net Reviews

"Solid virtues and thoughtful care ... have gone into this contribution."
Bulletin of Spanish Studies

"Makes for compelling reading and for a perfect test case against which to measure all the revisionist history that Rawlings so aptly summarises." Journal of Ecclesiastical History

Book Description

Drawing on the latest research by American, British, and European scholars, this provocative book challenges the reputation of the Spanish Inquisition as an instrument of religious persecution, torture, and repression. The book traces the history of the Spanish Inquisition from 1478 when it was founded, through its agenda against dissenters, to its demise and abolition in the early nineteenth century. Taking account of the work of a new generation of international historians, it demonstrates that the Inquisition was a far less brutal instrument of control than hitherto envisaged, that torture and the death penalty were only rarely applied, and then almost exclusively during the early years of its history. The book also draws attention to the wider role of the Inquisition as an educative force in society that strengthened the bonds between church and state.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 1 edition (July 11, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631206000
• ISBN-13: 978-0631206002
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,039,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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