Spanish Inquisition Activities (1501–1510)

Timeline

1. 1501–1505Seville · AndalusiaThe Inquisition continued investigating converts (conversos) suspected of secretly practicing Jewish rites, reinforcing social discrimination through denunciations, interrogations, and the notion of limpieza de sangre. Auto de fé ceremonies were frequently held in Seville, Toledo, and elsewhere, with property confiscated and imprisonment or burning at the stake imposed, forcing communities into self-censorship.
2. 1502–1508Toledo · Castilla-La ManchaThe Inquisition and church authorities intensified censorship of printed matter and suspect theological works, restricting the circulation of unapproved books. In line with the Catholic unification policy inherited from Ferdinand and Isabella, standards for heresy trials grew increasingly harsh, laying the foundation for ideological control during the religious wars of the 16th century.
3. 1509–1510Madrid (area of the royal court) · CastileAs Spanish colonial expansion in the Caribbean began, the home Inquisition system was further consolidated, its trial procedures and denunciation mechanisms regarded as vital tools for upholding the ideology of the Catholic monarchy. After 1509, plans were laid for an inquisitorial body in the New World, and the Iberian model began extending overseas.