Synopsis
History Of The Inquisition, From Its Origin To The Present Time, Ed. And Abridged By J. Weld by Rev. John Weld. This abridged history traces the origins of the Inquisition and its expansion across Europe, especially in Spain and Portugal, drawing on earlier works and modernizing the language for a broad audience. It explains the formation of the tribunal under Innocent III and subsequent popes, the roles of inquisitors, fiscal, secretaries, familiars, and the reach into commerce and family life. It outlines discovery methods such as common fame, depositions, spies, and confessions, and it details the procedures of examination, audience, and punishment. The volume devotes extensive attention to torture and its use to extract confessions, the mechanics of the Santa Casa prisons, the Auto-da-Fé, and public executions, with case studies including Zaragoza trials. It presents a polemical critique of the Inquisition, highlighting the cruelty, the terror, and the social ruin it wrought, urging readers to recognize the injustices committed in its name.
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