Latest / The History of Portugal: The Small Nation That Built a Global Empire — Fexingo History / The Portuguese Inquisition: From Faith to Empire Control
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked about the Portuguese Empire's reach — from Brazil to Japan, from Africa to the Spice Islands. But there's an institution that operated inside Portugal and across its empire, shaping society for nearly three centuries, and we haven't really dug into it yet: the Portuguese Inquisition. Luna: Oh, the Inquisition — I know the name, but I think most people picture the Spanish version. Lucas: Right, the Spanish Inquisition gets the pop culture spotlight, but the Portuguese version was established in 1536, under King João III. And it wasn't just about religious orthodoxy — it was a tool of state control, a way to unify the kingdom and its growing empire under a single Catholic identity. Luna: So it was political from the start. Lucas: Absolutely. João III petitioned the pope for years to establish it, over the objections of many, including some bishops who thought it was unnecessary. But the king saw it as a way to consolidate power and deal with the 'New Christians' — Jews who had been forcibly converted in 1497 under Manuel I. These converts, called cristãos-novos, were often suspected of secretly practicing Judaism. Lucas: The Inquisition's first auto-da-fé — that's the public ceremony where sentences were announced — took place in Lisbon in 1540. Over the next 250 years, thousands of people were tried, and hundreds were executed, often burned at the stake. Luna: Were they mostly New Christians? Lucas: Overwhelmingly. The Inquisition's primary target for the first century or so was judaizantes — people accused of practicing Judaism in secret. Later, it expanded to include Protestantism, sorcery, bigamy, blasphemy, and even 'solicitation' by priests during confession. But the vast majority of cases involved cristãos-novos. Lucas: And it wasn't just in Portugal proper. The Inquisition followed the flag. In 1560, a tribunal was established in Goa, in Portuguese India, and later in Brazil — though Brazil got a permanent tribunal only in the 18th century. Luna: Wait — the Inquisition operated in Goa? In Asia? Lucas: Yes, and it was brutal there too. The Goa Inquisition targeted not just New Christians but also local converts from Hinduism and Islam, who were suspected of backsliding. It lasted until 1812, when it was finally abolished. In Brazil, it was less centralized — visitations were sent from Lisbon, but there was no permanent tribunal until 1763 in Rio de Janeiro. Lucas: One of the most fascinating figures caught up in the Inquisition was António Vieira, a Jesuit missionary and writer. He was a brilliant orator and diplomat who defended the rights of indigenous peoples in Brazil and criticized the slave trade. But he also had millenarian ideas — he believed Portugal would usher in a Fifth Empire, a kind of Christian utopia. The Inquisition arrested him in the 1660s and put him on trial for heresy. Luna: They went after a Jesuit? That's surprising. Lucas: It shows that no one was above suspicion. Vieira was eventually silenced, though he wasn't executed — he was barred from preaching and sent into exile. He's a perfect example of how the Inquisition could stifle intellectual and theological debate. Lucas: If you've been stepping into history with us episode by episode, you know we don't run ads — no sponsors, no commercials. That's intentional. The show stays independent because of listeners who drop a coffee our way. So if today's conversation was worth a small cup to you, you can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, every bit helps keep the research going. And on that note — you mentioned the Inquisition's procedures. How did someone actually get investigated? Lucas: The process started with an edict of faith, read aloud in churches, calling on people to denounce anyone they suspected of heresy. Anonymously. You could denounce a neighbor, a business rival, even a family member. Then the Inquisition would investigate — often for months or years — gathering testimonies, often secret. If there was enough evidence, the accused was arrested and held in the Inquisition's prisons. Lucas: The accused didn't know who their accusers were. They were interrogated, sometimes under torture, and asked to confess. The goal wasn't just punishment — it was to extract a confession and repentance, which would then be celebrated in a public auto-da-fé. Luna: So it was as much about spectacle as about punishment. Lucas: Exactly. The auto-da-fé was a huge public event, often attended by the king and court. It would start with a procession, a Mass, and a sermon. Then the sentences were read out. Those who repented might get lighter sentences — wearing a penitential garment called a sambenito, flogging, or exile. Those who didn't, or who relapsed, were 'relaxed' to the secular authorities for execution — which meant burning at the stake. Lucas: The Inquisition also censored books. It maintained an Index of Forbidden Books, and all printers had to get licenses. This had a chilling effect on Portuguese intellectual life. The University of Coimbra, once a center of Renaissance learning, became more conservative. Thinkers like the physician Garcia da Orta, who wrote about Asian medicine and botany, were posthumously tried by the Inquisition. Luna: So it really shaped the whole culture. Lucas: It did. For centuries, a climate of suspicion and self-censorship pervaded Portugal. The Inquisition was finally abolished in 1821, after the Liberal Revolution. But its legacy lingered — both in the diaspora of New Christians who fled to Amsterdam, London, and the Ottoman Empire, and in the deep Catholic identity that Portugal maintained. Luna: It's a heavy but important part of the story. Lucas: Absolutely. And it connects to so many things we've talked about — the expulsion of Jews in 1497, the cartaz system that controlled trade, the missionary efforts in Asia and Brazil. The Inquisition was woven into the fabric of the empire.