Latest / The History of Portugal: The Small Nation That Built a Global Empire — Fexingo History / The Goan Inquisition: Faith, Fear and Portuguese Power in India
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Goa's golden age under Albuquerque, the spice trade, the viceroys. But there's a darker side to the Portuguese presence in India that we haven't touched yet: the Goa Inquisition. Luna: I've heard of the Spanish Inquisition, but I didn't know Portugal had one in Goa. Lucas: It was established in 1560, almost 80 years after the Portuguese first arrived in India. And it lasted until 1812, though its most active period was the 16th and 17th centuries. The official name was the 'Inquisition of Goa', and it was part of the larger Portuguese Inquisition, which also operated in Lisbon and Évora. Luna: What made them set up an Inquisition in Goa specifically? Lucas: A few factors. First, the Portuguese crown and church were deeply concerned about the presence of 'cristãos-novos' — New Christians, Jews who had converted to Christianity, often under pressure — in the empire. Many had fled to Goa to escape the Inquisition in Portugal, but the church worried they were secretly practicing Judaism. Second, there were many Hindus and Muslims in Goa, and the Portuguese wanted to enforce religious orthodoxy. The Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier, who we've mentioned before, actually wrote letters urging the king of Portugal to establish an Inquisition in Goa to combat heresy. Lucas: He died in 1552, before it was set up, but his requests were heard. The Inquisition was formally installed by Viceroy Dom Constantino de Bragança, with the first inquisitor being a man named Dom Gaspar de Leão Pereira, who later became the Archbishop of Goa. Luna: So it targeted both New Christians and native converts? Lucas: Yes, and also foreign Protestants who strayed into Portuguese territory. The Inquisition had jurisdiction over all Christians in the Estado da Índia, and it could investigate and punish anyone suspected of heresy, apostasy, or even bigamy. The punishments ranged from public penance to confiscation of property to death by burning at the stake — the auto-da-fé, or 'act of faith'. Luna: Auto-da-fé. That sounds terrifying. Did they actually burn people in Goa? Lucas: Yes, records show that at least 57 people were executed by the Goa Inquisition between 1560 and 1774, though some estimates are higher. The most famous auto-da-fé was in 1591, when several people were burned in the main square of Old Goa, near the Sé Cathedral. But the Inquisition also used other forms of punishment: flogging, galley service, exile, and public humiliation. Often, the accused would have to wear a 'sanbenito' — a yellow penitential garment — and be paraded through the streets. Luna: How did the local Hindu population react to all this? Lucas: Many Hindus were forced to convert or face persecution. The Inquisition targeted those who secretly continued Hindu practices, like worshipping idols or celebrating festivals. Temples were destroyed, and Hindu rituals were banned. This created a lot of resentment and resistance. Some Hindus fled to neighbouring kingdoms like the Maratha Empire, which was growing in power. Others outwardly converted but kept their traditions alive in private — a form of crypto-Hinduism. Lucas: The Inquisition also went after 'cristãos-novos' who were suspected of Judaizing. There were several high-profile cases involving wealthy merchants. For example, in the 1580s, a prominent New Christian named Diogo de Mesquita was arrested and eventually burned at the stake. His property was confiscated, which of course enriched the Inquisition. Luna: It sounds like there was a financial incentive as well. Lucas: Absolutely. Confiscation of property was a major source of revenue for the Inquisition. It created a perverse motivation to find heretics. And the Inquisition had its own network of spies and informants, so people could be denounced by neighbours, rivals, or even family members. The accused were not told who their accusers were, and they had limited rights to defend themselves. Lucas: The Inquisition also censored books. It maintained an index of prohibited books, which included works by Luther, Calvin, and other Protestant reformers, but also many scientific and philosophical texts. This stifled intellectual life in Goa for centuries. Luna: Was there any opposition to the Inquisition within Portuguese society? Lucas: Yes, some voices spoke out. For instance, the Jesuit missionary Alessandro Valignano, who visited Goa in the 1570s, criticized the Inquisition's harshness, arguing it alienated potential converts. But he was in a minority. The Inquisition was supported by the crown and the church hierarchy. It wasn't until the 18th century, under the reformist Marquis of Pombal, that the Inquisition's power was significantly curtailed. Luna: What did Pombal do? Lucas: Pombal, whose full name was Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, was the prime minister of Portugal from 1750 to 1777. He was a fierce modernizer and centralizer. He saw the Inquisition as an obstacle to state authority and economic progress. In 1774, he issued a decree that ended the auto-da-fé and restricted the Inquisition's jurisdiction. He also expelled the Jesuits from Portugal and its empire in 1759, which weakened the Inquisition because the Jesuits had been among its strongest supporters. Lucas: After Pombal fell from power, the Inquisition was revived briefly, but its influence never recovered. It was finally abolished in 1812, and its records were transferred to the National Archives in Lisbon. Today, those records are a valuable source for historians studying the social and religious history of Portuguese India. Luna: So the Inquisition left a deep scar on Goan society? Lucas: Without a doubt. The forced conversions, the destruction of temples, the persecution of Hindus and Muslims — it created a legacy of religious division that persisted long after the Inquisition ended. Even today, Goa has a mixed population of Hindus and Christians, but the memories of that period are still alive. Some families can trace their ancestry back to New Christians who fled persecution. The Inquisition also contributed to the decline of Goa as a commercial hub, as many wealthy merchants — both Hindu and Christian — left or had their assets seized. Luna: It's a sobering reminder that empires often come with a dark side. Lucas: Exactly. The story of Portugal in India isn't just about exploration and trade. It's also about the imposition of religious orthodoxy and the suppression of local cultures. And the Goa Inquisition is one of the most vivid examples of that. It's a chapter that challenges us to think critically about the costs of empire.