Tomas de Torquemada Appointed Grand Inquisitor

1481

The Dominican friar who had been Isabella's confessor took formal command of the Spanish Inquisition and turned it into an instrument of terrifying efficiency. Under his direction the court developed its procedures, torture manuals, and autos-da-fe. Over twelve years, perhaps two thousand people would be burned under his supervision. His systematic use of secret denunciation and confiscation of property created pervasive fear that fundamentally altered Spanish social life.