When was the Inquisition of Lisbon created? - exploring hypotheses

Abstract

Some seventeenth-century documents from the Portuguese Inquisition claim that the Lisbon Inquisition was founded by Cardinal Henry in July 1539. Without ignoring an earlier inquisitorial activity of this court, documented since mid-1537, many studies reaffirm such a statement without, however, questioning it. This study proposes, finally, to do it! Through a comprehensive and extensive reading of the documents produced during the first years of the court’s life, we will look for clues that allow us to formulate theses on a possible foundation, showing how these are contradicted and which weaknesses lie in their arguments. In a comparative perspective, it will be examined how this problem was approached by the studies on the other Portuguese and Spanish inquisitorial courts.