Kayla Wolf: Ugly History: The Spanish Inquisition

Ugly History: The Spanish Inquisition

In 1478, Pope Sixtus IV issued a decree authorizing the Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, to root out heresy in the Spanish kingdoms. The inquisition quickly turned its attention to ridding the region of people who were not part of the Catholic Church— leading to more than 350 years of ethnic cleansing. Kayla Wolf digs into the persecution and brutality of the Spanish Inquisition. [Directed by Luísa M H Copetti, Hype CG, narrated by Bethany Cutmore-Scott, music by Gabriel Maia].

For over 350 years, the Spanish Inquisition targeted religious minorities, using confession, torture, and public punishment to enforce Catholic orthodoxy. Even devout Catholics confessed to trivial offenses, hoping to avoid harsher penalties if later accused. Estimates of those killed range from 1,000 to 30,000, but hundreds of thousands were expelled, impoverished, or lived for generations in fear. The trauma and isolation from this period lingered long after the Inquisition ended in 1834.