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How did the medieval Inquisition begin in the Roman Catholic Church?
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inquisition
St. Dominic Presiding at an Auto-da-Fé, panel by Pedro Berruguete, c. 1503; in the Prado, Madrid.
The medieval Inquisition began as a response to the perceived threat of heresy, which was viewed in the medieval world as a dangerous corruption of the faith that threatened the salvation of souls.1
The process evolved through several stages:
- Episcopal Inquisitions: In 1184, Pope Lucius III mandated that bishops conduct judicial inquiries, or inquisitions, for heresy within their dioceses. This requirement was later renewed by the fourth Lateran Council in 1215.2
- Papal Assumption of Authority: Episcopal inquisitions were often ineffective due to their regional nature. Consequently, the papacy gradually assumed control over the process.2
- Establishment of the Papal Inquisition: In 1227, Pope Gregory IX appointed the first judges delegate as inquisitors, primarily selecting Dominican and Franciscan friars for the task.23
While established to combat specific movements like Catharism, the Inquisition eventually developed common procedures and a tradition of religious coercion that persisted in the late medieval Western church.214