Consejo de Inquisición
Item
Country
ES
Name of institution (English)
National Historical Archive
Name of institution (official language of the state)
Language of name of institution
spa
Contact information: postal address
Serrano, 115 28006 Madrid
Contact information: phone number
0034 917688500
Contact information: web address
Contact information: email
ahn@cultura.gob.es
Reference number
INQUISICIÓN
Type of reference number
Call number
Title (English)
Council of Inquisition
Title (official language of the state)
Consejo de Inquisición
Language of title
spa
Creator / accumulator
Spanish Inquisition
Date(s)
1474/1834
Language(s)
spa
Extent
3621 bundles and 1345 books
Type of material
Textual Material
Physical condition
Good
Scope and content
The Consejo de Inquisición fonds comprises documentation produced by the Suprema, the Superior Court of the Spanish Inquisition. It had jurisdiction over all courts and districts of the Spanish Inquisition.
The fonds is divided into five main groups:
1) Colección de Documentos Especiales (Special Documents Collection), containing maps, drawings, objects, and other archival units that, due to their nature, require particular conditions of storage;
2) Contaduría General (General Accounting Office), with documentation related to the economic management of the institution, which also includes records related to seized assets and money collected as fines or penalties resulting from sentences;
3) Secretaría de Aragón (Aragon Secretariat Division), which managed all matters relating to the courts of the Crown of Aragon, Logroño, Italy, and America;
4) Secretaría de Cámara del Inquisidor General (Secretary of the Chamber of the Inquisitor General), with letters, edicts, orders, and other documents produced by the Inquisitors General;
5) Secretaría de Castilla (Castilla Secretariat Division), which managed the affairs of the district courts of the Canary Islands, Cordoba, Corte, Cuenca, Granada, Llerena, Murcia, Santiago, Seville, Toledo and Valladolid.
Given the centrality of the charges of Judaism against New Christians, this collection is rich in information regarding conversos and Sephardic Jews abroad.
Researchers can find numerous documents that have already been digitised and made available online using PARES, the Spanish Archives system. Consultation of Inquisitorial documents should be made simultaneously with the consultation of documentation of the district courts. That is important because the Suprema was a superior court that usually intervened in matters already debated or related to matters processed in district courts.
The fonds is divided into five main groups:
1) Colección de Documentos Especiales (Special Documents Collection), containing maps, drawings, objects, and other archival units that, due to their nature, require particular conditions of storage;
2) Contaduría General (General Accounting Office), with documentation related to the economic management of the institution, which also includes records related to seized assets and money collected as fines or penalties resulting from sentences;
3) Secretaría de Aragón (Aragon Secretariat Division), which managed all matters relating to the courts of the Crown of Aragon, Logroño, Italy, and America;
4) Secretaría de Cámara del Inquisidor General (Secretary of the Chamber of the Inquisitor General), with letters, edicts, orders, and other documents produced by the Inquisitors General;
5) Secretaría de Castilla (Castilla Secretariat Division), which managed the affairs of the district courts of the Canary Islands, Cordoba, Corte, Cuenca, Granada, Llerena, Murcia, Santiago, Seville, Toledo and Valladolid.
Given the centrality of the charges of Judaism against New Christians, this collection is rich in information regarding conversos and Sephardic Jews abroad.
Researchers can find numerous documents that have already been digitised and made available online using PARES, the Spanish Archives system. Consultation of Inquisitorial documents should be made simultaneously with the consultation of documentation of the district courts. That is important because the Suprema was a superior court that usually intervened in matters already debated or related to matters processed in district courts.
Archival history
The Consejo de Inquisición archive remained in the former Inquisition building in Madrid until 1850. Then, documents were sent to the Archivo General de Simancas, except those relating to the Treasury, which remained in Madrid. This part was later sent to the Central General Archive of Alcalá de Henares.
From 1896 onwards, the inquisitorial fonds held in Simancas and Alcalá began to be transferred to the Archivo Histórico Nacional. There, an Inquisition section was created and completed in 1914 by receiving the series stored in the Biblioteca Nacional (National Library).
From 1896 onwards, the inquisitorial fonds held in Simancas and Alcalá began to be transferred to the Archivo Histórico Nacional. There, an Inquisition section was created and completed in 1914 by receiving the series stored in the Biblioteca Nacional (National Library).
Administrative / Biographical history
The Suprema (Supreme Court of the Inquisition) was formally created by a bull of Pope Sixtus IV in 1478. Its mission was the repression of crimes of faith, in particular, charges of Judaism imputed to those individuals who had converted to Christianity after the decree of expulsion in 1492. The court also persecuted other "crimes" such as bigamy, blasphemy, sodomy, heretical propositions, and others.
The Suprema was suppressed by Napoleon in 1808 and by the Cortes of Cadiz in 1813. However, upon the return of King Fernando VII of Spain, it was reestablished until its definitive suppression in 1820 during the Liberal Triennium.
The Suprema was organised around two territorial secretariats (Aragon and Castile) and another one for the management of the Inquisitor General himself. The Aragon Secretariat managed the affairs of the district courts of Barcelona, Cartagena de Indias, Sardinia, Lima, Logroño, Mallorca, Mexico, Sicily, Valencia, and Zaragoza. The Secretariat of Castile handled the affairs of the district courts of the Canary Islands, Cordoba, Corte, Cuenca, Granada, Llerena, Murcia, Santiago, Seville, Toledo and Valladolid.
The Suprema was suppressed by Napoleon in 1808 and by the Cortes of Cadiz in 1813. However, upon the return of King Fernando VII of Spain, it was reestablished until its definitive suppression in 1820 during the Liberal Triennium.
The Suprema was organised around two territorial secretariats (Aragon and Castile) and another one for the management of the Inquisitor General himself. The Aragon Secretariat managed the affairs of the district courts of Barcelona, Cartagena de Indias, Sardinia, Lima, Logroño, Mallorca, Mexico, Sicily, Valencia, and Zaragoza. The Secretariat of Castile handled the affairs of the district courts of the Canary Islands, Cordoba, Corte, Cuenca, Granada, Llerena, Murcia, Santiago, Seville, Toledo and Valladolid.
Access points: locations
Access points: corporate bodies
Access points: subject terms
Access points: document types
System of arrangement
The fonds is arranged according to document type. Series are organised chronologically.
Access, restrictions
Digital copies of numerous documents are available online:
Links to finding aids
Author of the description
Kevin Soares, 2023
Bibliography
Published primary sources
Linked resources
Filter by property
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Archivo Historico Nacional (España) | Collections (official language of the state) |
| Title | Alternate label | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Mexican Inquisition Collection | Existence and location of originals |