Latest / The Rise of Colonialism: How Europe Divided the World — Fexingo History / The Portuguese Inquisition in Goa: Faith and Empire
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- Lucas: We've talked a lot about how the Portuguese built their empire in Asia — the fortresses, the spice routes, the cartaz system. But there's a whole other dimension that often gets overlooked: the religious machinery that came with it. And perhaps nothing illustrates that better than the Inquisition in Goa, which officially began in 1560. Luna: Wait, the Inquisition wasn't just in Spain and Portugal? Lucas: Right, most people think of the Spanish Inquisition, but the Portuguese had their own, and they took it global. Goa, as the capital of the Estado da Índia, became the hub for the Inquisition in Asia. The tribunal was set up by Cardinal Henrique, the regent of Portugal, and it was modeled directly on the Lisbon Inquisition. Luna: So what was the actual goal? Were they going after Hindus and Muslims, or just Christians? Lucas: Officially, the Inquisition was aimed at New Christians — Jews and Muslims who had been forced to convert to Catholicism. But in Goa, it quickly expanded to target anyone suspected of not being a true Catholic, which included a lot of converted Hindus and even some Europeans who were accused of 'Judaizing' or 'Mohammedanism'. Lucas: The first inquisitors to arrive were Aleixo Dias Falcão and Fr. Gaspar de Leão. They set up the tribunal in the old palace of the Governor, which was a serious statement. And they wasted no time — the first auto-da-fé was held in 1562, just two years later. Luna: An auto-da-fé — that's the public ceremony where they read out the sentences and burned heretics, right? Lucas: Exactly. The auto-da-fé was a spectacle, designed to terrify and to reinforce the power of the church and the crown. In Goa, these were held in the main square, often in front of the Sé Cathedral. Hundreds of people would be paraded in their sanbenitos — those yellow tunics with the cross of St. Andrew — and their sentences would be read aloud. The punishments ranged from public penance to life in the galleys, and in some cases, burning at the stake. Luna: That's brutal. But what did the local population actually do? I mean, there were a lot of Hindus and Muslims there, not just converts. Lucas: Right, the Inquisition technically had no jurisdiction over non-Christians, but it still found ways to make their lives miserable. For one thing, it could punish Catholics for attending Hindu festivals or for using Hindu rituals. And it also targeted 'crypto-Hindus' — people who had converted but were secretly practicing their old religion. The Inquisition considered this heresy, and it used a network of informants and denunciations to root them out. Lucas: One of the most notorious cases involved a woman named Maria de Sousa, who was accused of being a crypto-Hindu. She was tortured, confessed, and was eventually burned at the stake in 1600. Her case became a cautionary tale that echoed through the community for generations. Luna: So it wasn't just about belief — it was about social control too. Lucas: Absolutely. The Inquisition was an instrument of colonial power. It helped the Portuguese maintain control over the diverse population of Goa, which was a crucial trading port. By instilling fear, they could ensure that the local elites would cooperate with Portuguese rule. And it also served to legitimize the empire in the eyes of the Catholic Church — the Portuguese king saw himself as the defender of the faith, spreading Christianity to the East. Lucas: And it wasn't just about the Inquisition itself. It was part of a broader Counter-Reformation effort. The Council of Trent, which wrapped up in 1563, reinforced the need for religious purity and the suppression of heresy. St. Francis Xavier, who had spent time in Goa earlier, actually petitioned for the Inquisition to be established there because he was frustrated by the laxness of Christian practice among the colonists. Luna: So one of the most revered Catholic saints was directly responsible for bringing the Inquisition to Asia? Lucas: That's a bit of a simplification, but yes, Xavier wrote letters back to Portugal complaining about the state of Christianity in Goa and asked for the Inquisition to be set up. He wanted to protect the faith from what he saw as contamination. He died in 1552, though, so he didn't live to see it actually established. Lucas: The Inquisition in Goa lasted until 1812, when it was officially abolished during the liberal revolutions in Portugal. By that point, it had held thousands of trials and hundreds of autos-da-fé. The exact numbers are debated, but some estimates suggest that over 80 people were executed and thousands more were punished in various ways. Luna: And what about the famous controversy over the malabar rites? That sounds related. Lucas: Ah, the malabar rites controversy — that's actually a separate but connected issue. It was about the Jesuit missions in South India, especially in the Madurai region, where missionaries like Roberto de Nobili tried to adapt Christianity to local customs. They allowed converts to keep some of their social practices, like wearing the sacred thread or using local names. The Inquisition and the Vatican were suspicious of this, and it eventually led to a papal condemnation in the 18th century. The Inquisition's role was to investigate these practices and ensure they conformed to Roman Catholicism. Luna: So the Inquisition wasn't just inside Goa — it had a reach across the entire Portuguese Asian empire. Lucas: Exactly. It had jurisdiction over all the Portuguese possessions in Asia, from East Africa to Japan. But its main seat was in Goa. It also played a role in censoring books — the Inquisition maintained a list of forbidden books, and it inspected all incoming literature. That had a huge impact on intellectual life in the empire. Lucas: One of the most tragic aspects is that it destroyed many Hindu temples and cultural artifacts. The Inquisition encouraged the destruction of idols and the conversion of temples into churches. Some of that was part of the broader missionary effort, but the Inquisition added the legal pressure — you could be punished for practicing your own religion, even if you were a non-Christian, if you were seen as a bad influence on Christians. Luna: That's so far from the image of the spice trade and the maritime empire we've been talking about. Lucas: It's a stark reminder that empire wasn't just about commerce — it was about world-building, and that included a very narrow vision of what that world should look like religiously. The Portuguese were, in many ways, the first global empire, and they set patterns that later empires would follow, for better or worse. Luna: You know, it's fascinating how these things are connected. We were just talking about the Banda Massacre and the spice trade, and now we're at the Inquisition. It's like the same mentality of control and domination, just applied to different spheres. Lucas: Absolutely. Whether it's controlling the nutmeg trade or controlling people's souls, the underlying drive is the same. And the Inquisition is a perfect example of how that drive operated in the religious realm. Lucas: It's funny you mention that connection, because it's actually a big part of why we can keep doing these deep dives. The research takes time, and the resources aren't always easy to come by. If you've been getting something out of these conversations, even a couple of dollars a month genuinely keeps them going — you can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's the little things that add up. And we really appreciate everyone who's been supporting the show. Lucas: So, back to the Inquisition — one thing that often gets overlooked is how it affected the role of women. Women were particularly vulnerable because the Inquisition often targeted them for supposed 'witchcraft' or for practicing 'superstitious' rituals that were really just traditional folk practices. There are records of women being denounced by their own neighbors, sometimes out of personal grudges. Luna: That's awful. So the Inquisition could be used as a weapon in local disputes? Lucas: Exactly. The system of denunciations was easily abused. Anyone could accuse anyone else of heresy, and the accused had little recourse. The Inquisition's procedures were secret, and the accused often didn't even know who had accused them or what the charges were until the auto-da-fé itself. That created an atmosphere of suspicion and fear that broke down community trust. Lucas: And the Inquisition also had economic consequences. Many wealthy merchants, especially New Christians, were targeted, and their property was confiscated. That wasn't just about religion — it was a way to enrich the crown and the church at the expense of a successful class of traders. Luna: So it's like the Inquisition was a tool for both religious and economic regulation. Lucas: Precisely. It wasn't just about saving souls; it was about consolidating power. And that's why the Inquisition persisted for so long, despite its obvious brutality. It was an integral part of the colonial system until the very end. Lucas: The legacy of the Inquisition in Goa is still visible today in the architecture — you can see the old Inquisition building, which now houses the Goa Archives. And the dominant Catholic culture of Goa, which is very different from the rest of India, is partly a result of these centuries of pressure. Luna: That's something to think about next time I see a picture of a Goan church. Lucas: It really puts things in perspective. The Portuguese were in Goa for over 450 years, and the Inquisition was a central part of their rule for 250 of those years. It's a sobering chapter in the history of European expansion.