Latest / The Rise of Colonialism: How Europe Divided the World — Fexingo History / The Goan Inquisition: Horror, Myth, and Memory
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked about the Spanish Inquisition a few times, but today I want to look at its cousin in the East — the Goan Inquisition. It was a tribunal that operated in Portuguese India from 1560 to 1812, and it's one of those things that's both horrifying and deeply misunderstood. Luna: I feel like I've heard the phrase, but I don't really know what it actually did. Lucas: Right. So it was set up against the backdrop of the Counter-Reformation. The Portuguese crown and the Church were reacting to the Protestant Reformation, and they were determined to root out heresy wherever the Portuguese flag flew. Goa, being the capital of the Estado da Índia, became the seat of a tribunal that had jurisdiction over the entire eastern empire — from East Africa to Japan. Lucas: The tribunal was officially established in 1560, but it took a few years to really get going. The first Inquisitor, Aleixo Dias Falcão, arrived in 1560, and he started enforcing Catholic orthodoxy with a heavy hand. The targets were primarily 'New Christians' — Jews and Muslims who had converted to Catholicism, sometimes under pressure — and also 'crypto-Hindus', or Hindus who had converted but were suspected of secretly practicing their old faith. Luna: So it was about policing the sincerity of conversions. Lucas: Exactly. And the way they did it was through a system of denunciations, secret trials, and public executions. The auto-da-fé, which means 'act of faith', was the grand ceremony where sentences were read and punishments carried out. In Goa, these took place in the main square, often in front of crowds that included the Viceroy and the Archbishop. Lucas: The punishments ranged from public penance — like wearing a sanbenito, a sort of yellow sack — to imprisonment, exile, or even burning at the stake. The exact numbers are debated, but records suggest that between 1560 and 1774, the tribunal tried around 16,000 cases, and perhaps a hundred or so people were executed. That's far fewer than popular imagination suggests, but it was still a reign of terror. Luna: A hundred executions is still a lot, but I thought it was thousands. Lucas: Yeah, the myth has grown over time. Some nineteenth-century writers, especially Protestant polemicists like Charles Dellon, exaggerated the numbers. But the real horror was the psychological impact. Families were torn apart by denunciations, and the fear of being accused was ever-present. The Inquisition had spies, and neighbors could report you out of spite. It created a culture of silence and suspicion that lasted for generations. Lucas: And it wasn't just about religion. The Inquisition also censored books, tried to suppress local customs, and even went after the so-called Malabar rites — which were specific practices of converts on the Malabar coast that were too close to Hindu rituals. So it was a tool of cultural domination as much as religious purity. Luna: It's interesting that you mention the Malabar rites. That's something we haven't touched on. Lucas: Right, and it's a good example of how the Inquisition could get tangled in local politics. The Jesuits, who were the main missionaries in the region, initially tolerated some local customs to facilitate conversion. But the Inquisition, backed by Rome, eventually cracked down on them. This created a real schism within the Church, and it wasn't resolved until the eighteenth century, when the rites were finally condemned. Lucas: But you know, the Goan Inquisition also had a profound impact on the identity of Goan Catholics. Many families today trace their ancestry to those converts, and the memory of the Inquisition is still very much alive. There's a saying in Goa: 'The Inquisition turned us all into Catholics, but it also made us who we are.' Luna: That's a heavy legacy to carry. Lucas: It is. And it's one of those historical episodes where we have to be careful not to oversimplify. On one hand, the Inquisition was a brutal instrument of oppression. On the other, it was also, in some ways, a court of law — with procedures, appeals, and even some safeguards for the accused. That doesn't excuse it, but it makes it more complex than just 'the Church tortured people.' Lucas: One of the most notorious figures in the Goan Inquisition was Gaspar de Leão, who served as the first Archbishop of Goa and was a strong supporter of the tribunal. He was a humanist and a poet, which shows you that even 'enlightened' people could be complicit in this system. And St. Francis Xavier, who is often celebrated as a great missionary, actually wrote to the King of Portugal asking him to introduce the Inquisition to Goa. So the connection between missionary zeal and inquisitorial practices is direct. Luna: Wow, that's a different side of St. Francis Xavier. Lucas: Yeah, and it's important to acknowledge that because it complicates the hagiography. But it also reminds us that these were human beings with their own historical contexts. Where the Goan Inquisition really differed from the Spanish one was in its focus on 'crypto-Hindus' — people who converted but secretly continued to worship Hindu gods and goddesses. The Inquisition developed a whole taxonomy of 'Hindu heresies' — like the worshipping of idols, the caste system, and even the practice of yoga. They tried to stamp all of it out. Luna: So it was an attack on the very fabric of Hindu society. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why the Inquisition is remembered so bitterly in Goa. It wasn't just about belief; it was about destroying a culture. The suppression of Hindu traditions, the forcing of converts to adopt Portuguese names and customs, the desecration of temples — these were all part of the same colonial project. Lucas: And the Inquisition lasted for over two centuries, with periods of suspension and revival. It was finally abolished in 1812, partly due to pressure from the British, who were increasingly influential in India. But by then, the damage had been done. Goa's Catholic community was deeply entrenched, but the wounds of the Inquisition never fully healed. Luna: It's amazing how long that kind of trauma can persist. Lucas: Yeah, and it's still a sensitive topic. When you visit Goa today, you see beautiful churches and basilicas, but the shadow of the Inquisition is always there. There's a museum in Old Goa that has some of the original instruments of torture, and it's a sobering sight. It reminds you that the Portuguese empire was not just about trade and spices; it was also about cultural erasure. Lucas: So, how do we make sense of this? I think the key is to understand the Inquisition as a product of its time — a time when religious uniformity was seen as essential for political stability. But that doesn't mean we can't judge it. We can and should condemn the violence and the injustice. What's interesting is how the memory of the Inquisition has been used in different political contexts, from anti-Portuguese nationalism to the defense of Hindu identity. Luna: That's a good point. It's not just a historical event; it's an active part of identity politics. Lucas: Right. And that's why it's so important to get the facts right. The numbers might have been smaller than we thought, but the impact was enormous. The Inquisition created a pattern of fear and conformity that shaped Goan society for centuries. And it's a reminder that when we talk about colonialism, we have to include the cultural and psychological dimensions, not just the economic and political ones. Lucas: But before we go deeper into that, I want to take a moment to mention something. If you've been enjoying these conversations and getting something out of them, there's a way to support the show that's really simple. It's like buying us a coffee. You can go to buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, I think a lot of listeners have been with us for a while, and it's a small gesture that makes a big difference. Lucas: Honestly, it's the reason we can keep doing this without ads. So if today's episode was worth a coffee to you, that's the link. But now, back to the Inquisition. So one of the most controversial aspects of the Goan Inquisition was its impact on the caste system. You might think that the Church would have been against caste, but in many ways, it actually reinforced it. Luna: Wait, really? How? Lucas: So the Inquisition allowed for different standards of punishment based on caste. The higher castes, for example, were given lighter sentences and were often allowed to do penance in private, while lower castes were subjected to more public humiliation. This was partly because the Portuguese depended on the cooperation of Brahmin elites to maintain control, so they were treated more leniently. It's a complicated legacy that some scholars argue actually helped preserve the caste system in Goa. Luna: That's such a nuanced point. It's not just black and white. Lucas: No, and that's what makes studying the Inquisition so challenging. It's a story of power, fear, and resistance. And it's also a story of survival. Despite the pressures, many Goans managed to maintain elements of their pre-colonial culture, often in subtle ways. For example, some Hindu festivals were transformed into Christian celebrations, and certain rituals survived under the guise of Catholic practice. The Inquisition tried to wipe out the old ways, but it didn't fully succeed. Lucas: So, when we look back at the Goan Inquisition, we have to hold two truths in tension: it was a brutal instrument of cultural genocide, but it also didn't completely erase the cultures it targeted. And it's this resilience that we should remember, even as we mourn the victims. Luna: That's a powerful way to end. It gives me a lot to think about. Lucas: I'm glad. And I think that's the best we can do — to remember, to learn, and to ask how we can do better. Thanks for listening, and I hope we can continue this exploration together.