The Inquisition in medieval Europe is often thought of as a cruel organization that existed only to hunt down and burn witches and heretics. This is a fairly inaccurate description. While the Inquisition certainly employed such methods as torture and burnings, these were fairly rare circumstances. It is clear that the main purpose of the Inquisition was not to control and frighten the population but to save people from the sinful teachings of heretics and even attempt to save the heretics themselves.

Before any trials or punishments were handed out by the Inquisition, the heretics first had to be found. When in a town an inquisitor would preach on how to spot a heretic, and would then leave it up to the population to either turn themselves in or to name someone they suspected of heresy. People who turned other people in were called denouncers and it required two witnesses to denounce somebody. Those that turned themselves in within a period of time set by the inquisitor (usually several weeks) usually were given little to no punishment and were forgiven. After the set period of time, those who had not come forward were sought out and were held on trial.

Those that were suspected of heresy were asked to come before the Inquisition for questioning. Attendance was not required but those who did not attend were generally treated as guilty. Lawyers were usually not allowed. Where it was allowed there rarely was one because the lawyers representing a person found guilty, they would be punished along with the heretic. The actual trial was quite simple. The accused were asked for names of people who would want them to be taken away. If the denouncers were named then the accused were usually let go. It was seen that the accused was actually innocent and the denouncer just wanted to get rid of them. If the denouncer was not named then it was taken that the accused actually was a heretic. Contrary to the popular belief that heretics were immediately killed and tortured, the accused was offered the chance to confess. Those who did so were let off with less severe punishments. Those who did not were not necessarily killed, but received less harsh punishments.

The punishments for those who confessed to heresy were called penances and would be something like going to a shrine, wearing a yellow cross on clothes or a short term in prison or if in Spain, lashings. The punishments for those who refused to confess were the more serious ones. They could be sent to prison for up to seven years, fined or lashing. At the very least in a case like this the Inquisition would confiscate all of the heretics property. At this point they still did not kill heretics. Their mission to save people from heresy also extended to the heretics themselves, so they still urged the heretics to confess and seek forgiveness.

The use of torture was only used in the case of a repeat heretic, one who has already been tried, found guilty, served their punishment and then proceeded to commit heresy again. Torture was approved as a method by Pope Innocent IV’s bull Ad extirpandum in 1252, but inquisitors were not allowed to torture heretics themselves. A heretic had to be turned over to secular authorities to be tortured or killed. Torture was used to get heretics to confess to their heresy. The most popular tortures were flogging, the rack, putting feet into hot coals and tying the hands behind the back and lifting them up with rope attached to the wrists and a pulley called the garrucha, used mainly in Spain and Italy. Confessions given under torture had to be re confessed outside of torture to make sure the confession was not given just to make the torturers stop the torture. If the heretic refused to give confession, then he would be tortured again.

Burnings were also only used in the case of a repeat heretic. The heretic would be told the day before the execution took place. Often multiple people were burned on the same day. These were always held in public and many people often showed up to watch. It started with reading the charges brought against each heretic. This was the longest part of the ordeal. The heretics were given a last chance to confess. If they did they were garroted to death before having their bodies be burned. Garroting is fastening somebody to a chair or vertical board with a ring of malleable metal or rope around their necks. At the back of the chair or board is a crank that when turned tightens the metal or rope until the victim is strangled to death. This causes less pain than being burned alive. The ones who refused to confess were burned alive at the stake. As further punishment, already burnt corpses would be placed next to others who had not been burned yet.

While the tortures and burnings may seem cruel, it is important to remember that heretics were given many chances to confess and be forgiven before they were killed. Those who did not seemed intent on killing themselves. Also only one third of all cases ended with some sort of punishment being given, even less being tortured or burnt which comes to a very small amount. With all the chances given by the Inquisition to heretics to repent it is clear that they were merciful and only punished the few to help save the many people who could have been swayed away from faith by a heretic. The cruelty portrayed to be common in the Inquisition is completely false, it should instead be thought of as a group dedicated to saving the public, not burning it.

The garrucha being used by the Inquisition

Torture on the rack

A mass burning with spectators