Crisis in the Medieval Church

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Crisis in the Medieval Church

• Purge of the Heretics, The Reconquista, and The
  Spanish Inquisition

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The Reconquista (Reconquest)

• At the same time that Christians were making
  trips to recapture the Holy Land from Muslims,
  Christian warriors also fought to remove Muslims
  from Spain.
• Until about 1000 AD, Muslims (called Moors) ruled
  in Spain and Portugal.
• Once the Muslim governments became weak,
  Christian armies were sent to drive them from
  power.
• In the end, the Moors were almost entirely kicked
  out of Europe.
• The Reconquista lasted from 1185-1492 AD.

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Purge of the Heretics

• Religious ideas that oppose accepted church
  teachings are called heresy. A person who
  commits heresy is called a heretic.
• Around 1100 AD, some people began to question the
  teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and the
  behavior of church leaders. They began to spread
  their own ideas.

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Purge of Heretics (cont.)

• The church began to seek out heretics throughout
  Europe.
• People found guilty of heresy were fined,
  imprisoned and sometimes killed.
• Some innocent people were tortured into making
  false confessions.
• In the early 1200s, Pope Innocent III declared a
  crusade against heretics. He sent French knights
  into battles around France in a war that lasted
  almost 20 years.

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Left Stone relief showing the forced baptism of
Moors in Granada
Right Ink drawing showing torture device used to
extract the confession of a heretic
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The Spanish Inquisition

• Under the rule of King Ferdinand and Queen
  Isabella, Spain came completely under Christian
  rule.
• They made the practice of Judaism and Islam
  illegal.
• They also created The Spanish Inquisition.
• Priests searched for Jews, Muslims and heretics
• The reign of terror lasted from 1478-1834.

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The Spanish Inquisition (cont.)

• Accused heretics were given a chance to confess
  their heresy against the Catholic Church and were
  also encouraged to accuse other heretics.
• If they admitted their wrongs and turned in other
  people, they were either released or sentenced to
  a prison penalty.
• If they would not admit their heresy or turn in
  others, the accused were publicly introduced in a
  large ceremony before they were publicly killed
  or sentenced to a life in prison.
• Most were burned to death.
• About 3,400 died altogether.

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Burned at the Stake
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The Chair
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The Coffin
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The Rack
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The Water Torture