Includes bibliographical references (p. 239-242) and index

"For centuries Europe trembled at the name of the Spanish Inquisition. It was established by papal bull in 1478, began operations in Castile two years later, and had soon spread through Spain and across the Atlantic to the Spanish empire." "Researching its techniques of interrogation and torture, Joseph Perez shows how public displays of punishment were used as instruments of social control for the benefit of the State, as has happened in the twentieth century. He points to how the Inquisition originated in fear and jealousy, explores the inner workings of its councils, courts and finances and the lives of its officers, and discusses the impact of the Inquisition over three and a half centuries on Spanish culture, economy and intellectual life. This book tells the whole history of the Spanish Inquisition from its medieval beginnings to its nineteenth-century ending."--BOOK JACKET.