We know by the Inquisition one of the harshest and most violent institutions in history. The Inquisition was an institution created by the Catholic Church with the aim of combating and reducing heresy in different parts of Europe, as well as in America. This institution based its work on the constant and savage persecution of anyone who did not profess the Catholic religion or who claimed to do so inappropriately. To achieve its objectives and ends, the Inquisition developed an important number of techniques, methods and severe punishments that were applied equally to men, women, children, the elderly or young people. It is estimated that the Inquisition was founded in the 12th century in France to be finally dismantled globally only in the 20th century.
Although the Inquisition became especially famous and effective in Spain, with the Catholic Monarchs, the truth is that the institution already existed in other parts of Europe since medieval times. Most of the modern Catholic states had a more or less efficient replica of this institution that operated on their territory and worked to eliminate the threat that the Moors or Jews were believed to pose at that time. This institution was later taken to America where the Spanish continued to apply the most savage and bloody punishment techniques against anyone who professed non-Catholic religions or creeds. In addition, he also faced different types of witchcraft and sorcery that they considered dangerous and threatening to the health of the Catholic community.
While one of the main punishments was excommunication from the Catholic community, the penalties were diversifying over time, becoming harsher and more inexorable. In many cases, they proceeded to end the lives of people who were suspected not only for their religious beliefs but also for their revolutionary ideas (as was the case of Galileo Galilei). At the same time, while many of the penalties sought to truly punish the person in question, many others were used as exemplary punishments for the rest of society in such a way as to publicly learn what the consequences of engaging in acts of witchcraft or heresy were. Normally, mutilated and dead bodies were hung in the squares for all to see.
