Repression and inquisitorial control at the end of 18th century. The example of the court of Logroño

Abstract

The end of the 18th century, which was a period of general crisis all over Europe, Spain included, was also the last chance for the Spanish Inquisition to show its capacity to act effectively as the guardian of the purity of the Catholic faith and to be the champion of the principles of the Ancient Regime, which the Tribunal represented. The goals of this essay are to study the aims and means of the inquisito­rial action in those years, as well as the difficulties found and the final results achieved. We will focus on the case of the court of Logroño, an inquisitorial tribunal that thanks to its strategical position played a significant role in the global program of action of the Inquisition.