Pope Gregory IX formalizes the Inquisition
1231
By the bull Excommunicamus, Gregory entrusted the hunt for heretics to Dominican friars answerable directly to Rome rather than local bishops. The standardized procedures of inquisitorial interrogation, secrecy, and record-keeping took shape in the tribunals of southern France. The friars' meticulous archives, preserving verbatim testimony from thousands of suspects, are now among the richest sources for medieval social history.
In context
Also in 1231 (3 other events on record)
- Ogedei sends Chormaqan to pacify Iran · Central Asia · War
- Wolgok Fortress withstands Mongol siege in Korea · East Asia · War
- Elizabeth of Hungary dies at Marburg · Europe · Religion
Before and after in Europe
Before and after in Religion
Era
High Middle Ages (1000–1300), one of 1,306 events from that era on Saeculum.