Britannica Sources used in this answer

How did the Portuguese Inquisition begin and whom did it initially target?

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Pedro Berruguete: St. Dominic Presiding at an Auto-da-Fé — inquisition *St. Dominic Presiding at an Auto-da-Fé*, panel by Pedro Berruguete, c. 1503; in the Prado, Madrid.

The Portuguese Inquisition was established by King John III of Portugal, who received permission from Pope Paul III to introduce a tribunal modeled after the Spanish Inquisition in 1536. Although the Pope later attempted to revoke this grant, the institution was firmly established in Portugal by 1547.1

The Inquisition initially targeted New Christians (also known as conversos or Marranos), who were individuals of Jewish descent who had been forcibly converted to Christianity under King Manuel I in 1497. These converts were widely suspected of secretly practicing Judaism, and the Inquisition was designed to root out this perceived heresy. Over time, the scope of the Inquisition expanded to include other groups, including non-Christians and those suspected of observing Islam or Hinduism, particularly in the Portuguese colony of Goa.12