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Encyclopaedia Judaica

Persecution of the Jews: The Inquisition of the church against the Jews 1481-1834

How criminal Catholic "Christian" church and the criminal Pope justified anonymous allegations against the Jews and New Christians with torture, degradation, and burning - and confiscation of the property

from: Inquisition; In: Encyclopaedia Judaica 1971, vol. 8

presented by Michael Palomino (2007)

18. Inquisition elsewhere in Europe: Sicily, Malta, and Sardinia

Inquisition elsewhere in Europe: Sicily 1451-1782

[1451: Revival of the Inquisition in Sicily - inquisitor Fra Antonio de la Peña since 1487 - 1492: expulsion of the Jews]

<SICILY. The medieval Dominican Inquisition had existed in *Sicily as elsewhere, and was revived in 1451, partly at the expense of the Jews, on the strength of an apocryphal decree of the emperor Frederick II. It was, however, inadequate to cope with the problem of the Conversos from the Peninsula, particularly Aragon, whose subject the island then was. Accordingly, in 1487, after some negotiation, Torquemada appointed Fra Antonio de la Peña as the local inquisitor.The expulsion of the Jews from the island in 1492 added to the number of insincere converts to be found there;

[Confusion between Spanish and Papal Inquisition - reorganization under bishop Montoro of Ceflú - stakes 1511, 1513]

but the affairs of the local tribunal fell into a hopeless state of confusion, heightened by the dispute between the contending claims of the Spanish and the papal Inquisitions. At last, in 1500, a reorganization was begun under Montoro, bishop of Ceflú.

Regular activities began in 1511, when, in (col. 1396)

an auto-de-fé of June 6, eight persons were burned. In 1513, there were three autos-de-fé, 39 persons (mostly relapsed penitents) being burned in all. This activity brought great unpopularity on the head of the Inquisition.

[1516: Death of Ferdinand - destruction of the Inquisition - inquisitor Cervera driven out to Spain - restauration of the Inquisition in 1519 - stake 1541]

On March 7, 1516, on the death of Ferdinand, the mob sacked its headquarters at Palermo, destroyed the records, and drove the inquisitor Cervera to take ship back to Spain.

Three years later, he was sent back with full powers, and, though popular antagonism was not allayed, the tribunal was restored. It was in vain that the parliament petitioned for an amelioration in its procedure. Its activities continued unremittingly: on May 30, 1541 there took place a great auto-de-fé at which 21 persons appeared, 19 of them New Christians.

[since 1541: more persecution of protestants and other heretics - still Jewish refugees coming from Spain]

From this period, however, charges of Judaizing gradually diminished, an increasing proportion of Protestants and other heretics figuring in the list. During the long period of Spanish domination, however, the island still continued to receive occasional Converso refugees from the Peninsula. One of the heads of the Sicilian Inquisition, Giovanni *di Giovanni (1699-1753), was the author of the standard account of the Jews in the island, L'Ebraismo della Sicilia (1748).

[1744: balance of the Inquisition - 1782: abolition of the Inquisition]

By 1744, it was alleged that the Inquisition of Sicily had handed over for burning 201 living heretics and 279 effigies of the dead or of fugitives. The tribunal was abolished by Ferdinand IV on March 16, 1782, amid great popular rejoicing.> (col. 1397)


Inquisition elsewhere in Europe: Malta

<MALTA. Up to the surrender of the island of Malta to the Knights of St. John in 1530, the Sicilian Inquisition maintained a commissioner there; however, few details are known of his activities. At a later period the Jewish slaves in Malta looked to the inquisitor there for a certain measure of protection in the observance of their religion.> (col. 1397)


Inquisition elsewhere in Europe: Sardinia 1492-1708

[1492: Inquisitor Micer Sancho Mardia - assassination in 1500 - end in 1708]

<From the 14th century , Sardinia had formed part of the dominions of the crown of Aragon and it therefore, like Sicily, formed a natural haven of refuge for the Conversos of the Peninsula. A branch of the Inquisition was introduced in the year of the expulsion of the Jews (1492), when Micer Sancho Mardia was appointed inquisitor.

The popular aversion was extreme, and in 1500 the receiver of the Inquisition was assassinated in Cagliari by some person who had been reduced to poverty by his means. Early in the 16th century, its work was done, and it relapsed into comparative quiescence.

Its existence was not ended, however, until the termination of the Spanish rule in 1708. The episcopal Inquisition which succeeded it had little to occupy itself with, all traces of the Conversos having long since disappeared.> (col. 1398)

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