INQUISFELON, the title given to in court armed with extensive criminal au thority in various European countries; especially instituted to inquire into of fences against the established religion. The first of those tribunals of faith was that established in the south of France after the conquest of the Albigenses in the 13th century. They were established in Spain in the middle of the same cen tury, not without much opposition on the part of the bishops and secular clergy, who, in Castile, long maintained their exclusive spiritual jurisdiction. In 1480, the supreme general inquisition was founded at Seville by Queen Isabella, with the all of the Cardinal Pedro Gon zalez de INIendoza. This great court, commonly known by the name of the Holy Office, had far more extensive au thority than those local tribunals of tho same name which had previously been established. Thomas de Torc[uernada, prior of a Dominican convent, was its first president, with the title of inquisitor general. The process of the inquisition was widely different from that of all other courts of justice. The kings named the grand inquisitor, who appointed his as sessors, some of whom were secular, but the greater part regular ecclesiastics : the counsellors wore six or seven in num ber, of whom one, by the ordinance of Philip M., must be a Dominican. A party who was brought under cognizance of the court by secret accusation wits im mediately seized by its officers, (termed officials or familiars,) and his property put under sequestration. If the accused was fortunate enough to absent himself, and did not appear at the third summons, lie was excommunicated, and in some cases burnt in effigy. The subsequent process of the court by imprisonment, secret examination, and torture, is well known. Penitent offenders were sub jected to imprisonment, scourging, con fiscation. and legal infamy. Those con victed, who were sentenced to death, were httrilt, at the Antos iii Fe, which usually take place on sonic Sunday between Trinity and Advent. During the 15th
century, •he chief officers of the inquisi• tion were for the most part men of intel ligcnee and moderation, and its proceed ings chiefly directed against parties guilty of such offences against decency or reli gion as would have been punishable in most European countries, although not by an equally arbitrary process. But there were exceptions to this general character ; and by the provincial courts of inquisition, of which Spain contained sixteen, some acts of barbarous injustice were committed. According to a common colculation, 340,000 persons had been unished by the inquisition from 1431 to 1803, of whom nearly 32,000 were burnt. In that year it was abolished by Napo leon. It was afterwards re-established by Ferdinand Ill. in 1314; but having been again abrogated by the Cortes in 1320, it has not been since reconstituted. In Portugal, the supreme court of in quisition was established in 1557. Its history in many respects resembles that of the Spanish court; but in the 13th century its power was greatly curtailed by ordinances which required a certain degree of publicity in its procedure. It was abolished by the Cortes of 1821. There were courts of inquisition in vari ous southern provinces of France, the principal that of Languedoc, established at Toulouse, which was first founded after the war against the Albigenses; but their power was limited not long after their creation, and fell into desuetude long be fore their final abolition. In several Italian states courts of inquisition have been established ; but the institution has never taken much hold on the sentiments or habits of the people of that country. It was restored at Rome by Pius VI I. after the expulsion of the French, bat had jurisdiction only over the faith 1140 conduct of the clergy.