The Italian Inquisition

by Christopher F. Black

The Italian Inquisition, or Holy Office, was established in 1542, stimulated partly by the earlier Spanish operation. Certainly Spain’s “black legend” affected opinions of the Inquisition in Italy, but as this pioneering book shows, there were significant differences between their operations, targets, and casualties.

 

In this pioneering history of the Italian Inquisition, Christopher F. Black charts how it developed and changed over time. He maps its cumbersome means of command, supervision, and action, as well as its role as a surprisingly approachable regulatory body working within communities. Ranging right across the Italian panorama, and rooting his enquiry in striking individual cases, Black uncovers Inquisitional procedure from denunciation to punishment. This scrupulous and richly rewarding book shows how the Inquisition shaped Italy’s religious and social worlds.

 

Genres: Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Liam Ostermann]

Absolutely first rate history of the workings of the Italian as opposed to the Spanish Inquisition (for those of my generation the latter is inextricably defined by Monty Python). It was a much more complex and varied institution because Italy was a patchwork of political entities - not all of whom accepted the Inquisition (indeed the Spanish Inquisition was kept out of Spain's Italian territories which often meant they had no Inquisition). The actual complex, diverse and very real rivalries between the authority of various Popes, local ecclesiastical authorities and the various republican, princely, grand ducal and royal authorities mean that any simplistic portrait of the Inquisition or its place within Papal structures or how it was used Varies considerably over time.

It was not the monstrous engine of persecution of legend, there was no witch hunt led by the inquisition (though Protestant persecutors happily used older catholic manuals in their witch hunts) but no religion has clean hands - they all persecuted different groups at different times and both burnt heretics. But as Professor Black points out discovering that the numbers burnt and tortured was small does not mean they were not effective. We can never know what wasn't written, spoken about, discovered because of fear - legislation demanding silence is effective even if never used (I can't help mentioning Section 28 in the UK which between 1988 and 2003 in the England and Wales, 2000 in Scotland, banned the 'promotion' of homosexuality in schools. There was never a single prosecution but it effectively silenced any attempt by teachers and school authorities to provide any kind of support, information or help to students) forcing people to censor themselves is by far the most effective censorship.

If I had one complaint it is that the book doesn't make clear that it ends in the 18th century and does not include anything on the resurrected Inquisition in post Napoleonic Italy, particularly in the papal states until their final dissolution in 1860 and the capture of Rome in 1870. There are no doubt many reasons why - the deep chasm of the French Revolution and Napoleon being the largest - but it was for information on that period I was particularly to find - and I think the author should have at least provided an explanation for why he ended his story when he did - about half way through the 18th century.

Understanding what the Inquisition was, and wasn't, is essential, particularly as its actions, such as condemning Galileo, still find defenders or at least apologists (google Pope Benedict XVI on Galileo).

[Alice]

Black's extensive analysis of the Roman Inquisition is incredible. He manages to examine all the different aspects of it, from its founding in 1542 to the current day, as well as the important cases of the Inquisition. His dedication to supplying the public with this information is to be admired.

While the book itself was dry, the material was far from it. Anyone who is interested in learning anything about the constitution of the Holy Office is in exactly the right place.

It was hard to get through the entirety of it, but very much worth doing so.

[Karoline Høgda]

The language is very stiff. Also, the number of names given in Italian makes this book hard to digest for anyone who is not used to reading Italian.
I kept wishing through the whole thing that our professor had chosen other books to put on our curriculum.