Grand Inquisitor
Inquisitor Generalis
AppointerMonarch
Inaugural holderTomás de Torquemada
Formation1483
Final holderJerónimo Castillón y Salas
Abolished1820

Grand Inquisitor (Latin: Inquisitor Generalis, literally Inquisitor General or General Inquisitor) was the lead official of the Inquisition. The title usually refers to the chief inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition, even after the reunification of the inquisitions. Secretaries-general of the Roman Inquisition were often styled as Grand Inquisitor but the role and functions were different.

The Portuguese Inquisition was headed by a Grand Inquisitor, or General Inquisitor, named by the Pope but selected by the king, always from within the royal family.

The most famous Inquisitor General was the Spanish Dominican Tomás de Torquemada, who spearheaded the Spanish Inquisition.

List of Spanish Grand Inquisitors

Tomás de Torquemada, Grand Inquisitor of Spain (1483–1498)
Diego de Deza, Grand Inquisitor of Spain (1498–1507)
From To Grand Inquisitor[1] Other positions held
1483 1498 Tomás de Torquemada Prior of the Dominican Convent of Santa Cruz, Segovia, 1477–1498
1499 1506 Diego de Deza Tavera Archbishop of Seville
1506 1507 Diego Ramírez de Guzmán Bishop of Catania, Bishop of Lugo

Separation of Inquisitions of Castile and Aragon

Castile

Adrian of Utrecht, Grand Inquisitor of Spain (1518–1522)
From To Grand Inquisitor Other positions held
1507 1517 Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros Cardinal, Archbishop of Toledo

Aragon

Juan Pardo de Tavera, Grand Inquisitor of Spain (1539–1545)
Fernando Niño de Guevara, Grand Inquisitor of Spain (1600–1602)
Francisco Antonio de Lorenzana, Grand Inquisitor of Spain (1794–1797)
From To Grand Inquisitor Other positions held
1507 1513 Juan Enguera Bishop of Vich, Bishop of Lleida, Bishop of Tortosa
1513 1516 Luis Mercader Escolano Bishop of Tortosa
1516 1517 Adrian of Utrecht Cardinal priest of Ss. Giovanni e Paolo, Bishop of Tortosa, later Pope

Reunification of the Inquisitions

From To Grand Inquisitor Other positions held
1518 1522 Adrian of Utrecht Cardinal priest of Ss. Giovanni e Paolo, Bishop of Tortosa, later Pope
1523 1538 Alonso Manrique de Lara Bishop of Badajoz, Archbishop of Seville, Cardinal
1539 1545 Juan Pardo de Tavera Archbishop of Toledo
1546 1546 García de Loaysa Archbishop of Seville
1547 1566 Fernando de Valdés y Salas Archbishop of Seville
1566 1572 Diego de Espinosa Bishop of Sigüenza, Bishop of Cuenca
1572 1572 Pedro Ponce de León Bishop of Ciudad Rodrigo, Bishop of Plasencia
1573 1594 Gaspar de Quiroga y Vela Archbishop of Toledo
1595 1595 Jerónimo Manrique de Lara Bishop of Cartagena, Bishop of Ávila
1596 1599 Pedro de Portocarrero Bishop of Calahorra, Bishop of Cuenca
1599 1602 Fernando Niño de Guevara Archbishop of Seville
1602 1602 Juan de Zúñiga Flores Bishop of Cartagena
1603 1608 Juan Bautista de Acevedo Bishop of Valladolid, Patriarch of the Indias
1608 1618 Bernardo de Sandoval y Rojas Archbishop of Toledo
1619 1621 Luis de Aliaga Martínez
1622 1626 Andrés Pacheco Bishop of Cuenca, Patriarch of the Indias
1627 1632 Antonio de Zapata Cisneros Archbishop of Burgos
1632 1643 Antonio de Sotomayor Prior of Santo Domingo
1643 1665 Diego de Arce y Reinoso Bishop of Tuy, Bishop of Avila, Bishop of Palencia
1665 1665 Pascual de Aragón Archbishop of Toledo
1666 1669 Juan Everardo Nithard
1669 1695 Diego Sarmiento de Valladares Bishop of Oviedo, Bishop of Plasencia
1695 1699 Juan Tomás de Rocaberti Prior of Santo Domingo, Archbishop of Valencia
1699 1699 Alonso Fernández de Córdoba y Aguilar Appointed Grand Inquisitor, but died before he could assume this office.
1699 1705 Baltasar de Mendoza y Sandoval Bishop of Segovia
1705 1709 Vidal Marín del Campo Archbishop of Burgos
1709 1710 Antonio Ibáñez de Riva Herrera Archbishop of Zaragoza, Archbishop of Toledo
1711 1716 Francesco del Giudice Archbishop of Monreale
1715 1715 Felipe Antonio Gil de Taboada Commissioned as Grand Inquisitor but did not serve.
1717 1717 José de Molines Proclaimed in Rome, but detained by Austrians and died without serving.
1718 1718 Felipe de Arcemendi Died without serving.
1720 1720 Diego de Astorga y Céspedes Archbishop of Toledo
1720 1733 Juan de Camargo y Angulo Bishop of Pamplona
1733 1740 Andrés de Orbe y Larreategui Archbishop of Valencia
1742 1746 Manuel Isidro Orozco Manrique de Lara Archbishop of Santiago
1746 1755 Francisco Pérez de Prado Bishop of Teruel
1755 1774 Manuel Quintano Bonifaz Titular Archbishop of Farsala
1775 1783 Felipe Beltrán Serrano Bishop of Salamanca
1784 1793 Agustín Rubin de Ceballos Bishop of Jaén
1793 1794 Manuel Abad y Lasierra Titular Archbishop of Selymbria
1794 1797 Francisco Antonio Lorenzana y Butrón Archbishop of Toledo
1797 1808 Ramón José de Arce y Rebollar Archbishop of Burgos
1808 1814 Abolition of the Inquisition
1814 1818 Francisco Javier Mier Campillo Bishop of Almería
1818 1818 Cristóbal Bencomo y Rodríguez Titular Archbishop of Heraclea (position rejected by himself)[2]
1818 1820 Gerónimo Castillón y Salas Bishop of Tarazona

List of inquisitors-general of Portugal

External links

References

  1. ^ Appendix 2 to Henry Charles Lea's A History of the Inquisition of Spain
  2. ^ "Biografía de Cristóbal Bencomo y Rodríguez". Archived from the original on 2017-06-15. Retrieved 2016-03-31.
  3. ^ Inquisidores gerais de Portugal
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