LO.5B,C - The Inquisition

What did the Order’s arrival and establishment in Malta in 1530 coincide with

The protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation in Europe.

The Knights were from…

8 different langues

What was expected because of this

That some Knights would fall under the Influence of Protestant Ideas

Where was this most likely expected

In countries whose rulers had broken away from the Church of Rome and set up Protestant national churches

What is an example of this

The closure of the Langue of England when in 1532 King Henry VIII broke away from Rome and declared himself Supreme Head of the Church of England.

In Malta, when did Protestant influences start affecting some French Knights

1560’s

What happened after the Great Siege (1565)

Grand Master La Cassiere took the first step to adress this issue asking the Pope to appoint an Inquisitor in Malta.

What did the Pope do in response

He sent Mons. Pietro Duzina as Appostolic Legate to conduct an apostolic visit to the Maltese Diocese.

When and who was appointed the first Roman Inquisitor in Malta

1575 - Pietro Duzina

What building became the official residence of the Inquisitors?

The former Castellania building in Birgu

What did this palace also serve as besides as a residence

The Court of the Inquisition and the prison cells.

Why was the Inquisition set up in Malta

to prevent Protestant ideas from influencing Catholic beliefs, particularly among the Knights of the Order in Malta

When did the Inquisition begin operating in Malta

It was establishes in Malta in 1575, and Monsignor Pietro Duzina was appointed as the first Inquisitor

Where was the Inquisition’s tribunal located

At the Inquisitors palace in Birgu, which also served as a residence and prison.

What was the Roman Inquisition

It was a tribunal (court) of the Catholic Church, with its headquarters in the Vatican, called the Holy Office

Who led the Holy Office

an Inquisitor-General appointed directly by the Pope

Who were the majority of the Inquisitors who served in Malta between 1575 - 1798

Italian prelates appointed by the Holy Office

What did the Inquisition in Birgu serve as

• a residence for the inquisitors

• as tribunal/ court

• prison

Who did the Inquisitor employ to help him gather information, and how

• He employed a number of servant-informers, known as patentati

• Patentati acted as informants who reported to the Inquisition what occurred or what was being said by the people in public places

Who did the Inquisitor have to assist him in the working of the tribunal and the upkeep of the prison cells?

• court advocate (assessor)

• a notary

• a clerk

• prison warden

What happened to people who were suspected of practicing beliefs or rituals that go against Catholic dogma (the doctrine of belief in a religion or a political system).

They were arrested and taken to the Inquisitor’s court for interrogation and possible impeachment in prison cells.

If found guilty of minor cases →

the convicted person was given a mild-sentence, usually consisting of prayers, acts of devotion and charity.

If found guilty of major cases →

the convicted person was given harsher punishments, such as imprisonment or rowing on the Order’s galleys for some years

When was torture used

if a convicted person refused to admit their misdeeds

What were some of the most common misdeeds of the Maltese in those times

• Missing the Sacraments or the Sunday Mass

• Subscribing to other religions such as Protestantism or Islam (apostasy)

• Reading books or other literature which was prohibited by the Catholic Church

• Blasphemy (swearing), polygamy and other acts which could serve to give scandal to the Catholics

• All forms of occult practices, such as a belief in superstition

• Fortune-telling, witchcraft and sorcery

Examples of the more serious crimes

• Witchcraft, blasphemy, hearsay

Did the Inquisition have a profound an long-lasting influence and impact on the daily-life of the Maltes

Yes

How did the Inquisition impact the daily lives of the Maltese

They had to learn to live with the fact that people could spy and report them to the Inquisitor.

Why did many people voluntarily confess to the Inquisitor and admit their misdeeds

The fear of being arrested by the Inquisition led people to voluntarily admit their misdeeds to the Inquisitor to avoid a harsher punishment

What did the existence of the Inquisiton serve as

A watchdog to the strict adherence to the Catholic dogma and cathecism stipulated by the Council of Trent 1563

What is the evidence of the decline of the Inquisition in the 18th century

the reduction of the number of cases appearing before the Inquisition tribunal, the greater numbers of mild sentences

Where were the arrested and accused kept

in damp and uncomfortable cells located on the ground floor of the Inquisitors palace in Birgu.

During the time spent in their cells, what were the accused encouraged to do

to meditate on their wrongdoings and to change their lives

Could people be tortured during the trial itself if the accused did not admit to their guilt

yes

Those found guilty were punished to the gravity of the offence committed T/F

True

If the offence was not considered a serious one →

the guilty person was given a stern warning not to repeat the wrongdoing

For minor infringements →

the guilt person would be given a religious penitence, such as reciting prayers, hearing mass or fasting regularly for a prescribed period of time

Those found guilty with a more serious offence , like ________→

(eg witchcraft) - punished more severely - long periods of imprisonment, exile or rowing on the Order’s galleys for some years.

Is it believed that

a) The inquisition often resorted to the use of torture or the use of a death sentence in Malta

OR

b) The inquisition rarely resorted to the use of torture or the use of a death sentence in Malta

B

When was the Inquisition for the Tribunal closed down and the last Inquisitor expelled from Malta

1798

By who?

General Napoleon Bonaparte when the French took over the Maltese Islands from the Order in 1798

So the inquisition in Malta lasted from

1575 to 1798