Historical Dictionary of Renaissance

INQUISITION

Inquisition: translation

Judicial agency created under papal authority for the discovery, prosecution, and punishment of heresy and certain other acts defined as criminal under canon law, such as bigamy and sodomy. Christianity had always exercised the power to expel members who rejected its doctrines or moral requirements. After it became the official religion of theRoman Empireduring the fourth century, imperial legislation made the local bishops judges over their community. In the first half of theMiddle Ages, the bishop or his judicial deputy dealt with cases of heresy but never claimed the right to take a defendant's life. In the early 13th century, after the suppression of the Albigensian heresy in southern France by a crusade authorized by Pope Innocent III, the Roman curia concluded that the local bishops had been too lax.Since the Albigensian heretics of southern France remained stubborn and elusive, in 1233 Pope Gregory IX began appointing special inquisitors in some regions, charged with the duty of suppressing heresy.
Although the procedures followed by these inquisitors seem harsh when evauated by modern standards, they were modelled on the practices of Roman law. An inquisitor began by publicizing a grace period of 30 days during which heretics could identify themselves, abjure their errors, and be reconciled to the church. After this interval, all good Christians were supposed to denounce known heretics. Because of fear that powerful individuals would intimidate potential accusers, the names of accusers and their testimony were kept secret. Accused persons were, however, invited to present a list of personal enemies who might have made false accusations. In cases where there was substantial suspicion of heresy, the judges had the authority to interrogate the accused under torture, another procedure borrowed from Roman law. Inquisitors were fully aware that using torture could be a means of getting the testimony one wanted rather than getting the truth. Torture was regarded as a last resort, but it was used.
Being charged before an inquisitorial tribunal was a serious matter. Yet a substantial proportion of defendants was acquitted. Of those found guilty, most were assigned modest penalties and then released under supervision. For a person who had been condemned previously and had relapsed into heresy, however, a sentence of death was virtually certain. Although theoretically, being a church court, the inquisitorial court did not execute condemned heretics, in such cases guilty persons were "relaxed to the secular arm"—that is, to the secular government—which was then expected to carry out the execution.
Although historians have often used the term "inquisition" loosely, the medieval inquisition was not a formal institution but merely a number of individuals (usually Dominican or Franciscan friars) commissioned to investigate and punish heresy in a region. They were not active in all parts of Europe, and where they were active their efficacy was often questionable, though they did succeed in exterminating the Albigensian heresy. There was no institutional network, no systematic communication between inquisitors, and no system of supervision to ensure that their work was effective or free from abuses. In addition, since diocesan bishops still retained their own judicial authority, there were often conflicts of jurisdiction in the investigation and prosecution of heretics.
See alsoPortuguese Inquisition, Roman Inquisition; Spanish Inquisition.

  1. inquisition—Inquisition translation Inquisition By this term is usually meant a special ecclesiastical institutional for combating or suppressing heresy dd Catholic Encyclopedia.Kev...Catholic encyclopedia
  2. inquisition—A former tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church created to discover and suppress heresy A severe interrogation often violating the rights or privacy of individuals...Crosswordopener
  3. inquisition—Inquisition bersetzung. Papst Innocenz I. errichtete eine geistliche Behrde deren Aufgabe es war die abtrnnigen Glieder der wahren Kirche zu bessern oder zu bestrafen. Di...Damen Conversations Lexikon
  4. inquisition—inquisition bersetzung HIST Inquisition fu figu Prfung fu Forschung f inquisition [kizisj] Substantif fminin histoire relatif aussi pjoratif Beispielu lInquisition die...Dictionnaire Francais-Allemand
  5. inquisition—Inquisition translation Under papal jurisdiction the inquisition into heretical practices and beliefs was also introduced in the Low Countries dur ing the th century. Man...Historical Dictionary of the Netherlands
  6. inquisition—inquisition translationSynonyms and related wordsAreopagus analysis assize board change of venue council courtmartial crossexamination crossinterrogation crossquestioning...Moby Thesaurus
  7. inquisition—[nkwzn]расследование следствиеосмотр следствиеинквизициямучение пыткастрогий допрос...Англо-русский большой универсальный переводческий словарь
  8. inquisition—расследование следствие the Inquisition hist. инквизиция мучение пытка...Англо-русский дополнительный словарь
  9. inquisition—расследование...Англо-русский онлайн словарь
  10. inquisition—расследование...Англо-русский онлайн словарь
  11. inquisition—n допрос изучение изыскание инквизиция исследование пытка расследование следствие...Англо-русский словарь Лингвистика-98
  12. inquisition—inquisition [kwzn] nu мучение пытка расследование следствие the I. ист.u инквизиция...Англо-русский словарь Мюллера
  13. inquisition—сущ. а расследование следствие to carry out conduct an inquisition проводить расследование Syn inquiry investigation examination б осмотр следствие Syn examination the...Англо-русский словарь общей лексики
  14. inquisition—n .strong исследование изыскание изучение .strong юр. расследование .strong the I. inquisitionem ист. инквизиция жестокий допрос пытка. strong исследование изыскание из...Англо-русский словарь по социологии
  15. inquisition—n. расследование следствие инквизиция мучение пытка...Англо-русский словарь редакция bed
  16. inquisition—сущ.emstrong исследование изыскание изучение юр.em расследование ист.em инквизиция жестокий допрос пытка....Англо-русский социологический словарь
  17. inquisition—истор. инквизиция расследование дознание следствие коронерское расследование inquisition of office coroners inquisition judicial inquisition...Англо-русский юридический словарь
  18. inquisition—n ст. нквзиця розслдування слдство катування тортури...Англо-украинский словарь
  19. inquisition—дзнання жорсткий допит слдство розслдування нквзиця висновки слдства...Англо-украинский юридический словарь
  20. inquisition—розслдування мучення наслдок муку слдство...Англо-український словник
  21. inquisition—n дослдження юр. розслдування слдство the ст. нквзиця перен. мордування катування гризота тортури prices грабжницьк цни....Англо-український словник Балла М.І.
  22. inquisition—дзнання жорсткий допит слдство розслдування нквзиця висновки слдства...Англо-український юридичний словник
  23. inquisition—f en ист. инквизиция дознание следствие допрос с пристрастием...Большой немецко-русский и русско-немецкий словарь
  24. inquisition—Inquisitionstrong f ист. инквизиstrongция...Большой немецко-русский словарь
  25. inquisition—f ист. инквизиция пристрастное следствие дознание розыск pousser linquisition вести дознание...Большой французско-русский и русско-французский словарь
  26. inquisition—[nkwzn] n. книжн. исследование изыскание изучение. юр. расследование следствие. the Inquisition ист. инквизицияthe Spanish Inquisition испанская инквизиция допрос жесто...Новый большой англо-русский словарь
  27. inquisition—inquisition [nkwzn] ni . книжн. iисследование изыскание изучение . юр. iрасследование следствие . the Inquisition ист. iинквизиция the Spanish Inquisition испанская инк...Новый большой англо-русский словарь II
  28. inquisition—nkwzn n . книжн. emисследование изыскание изучение . юр. emрасследование следствие . the Inquisition ист. emинквизиция the Spanish Inquisition испанская инквизиция ...Новый большой англо-русский словарь под общим руководством акад. Ю.Д. Апресяна
  29. inquisition—f ист. инквизиция пристрастное следствие дознание розыск pousser linquisition вести дознание...Новый французско-русский словарь