Diante do inquisidor: o santo ofício português e a condenação às práticas de bruxaria (1521-1562)

Abstract

The research explores the establishment of the Tribunal of the Holy Office in 1536, examining the repression of heresies and, specifically, the practices of witchcraft and sorcery associated with women in the Portuguese Kingdom. In the Late Middle Ages, emphasis is placed on the significance of the religious and eschatological imagination that permeated society and how the norms created by the Holy Office were built upon widespread fear of threats to the Catholic faith. This study analyzes Portuguese legislation, such as the Afonsine and Manueline Ordinances, which reflected the Crown's concern with religious order and combating practices considered deviant, such as witchcraft, even before the inquisitorial period. It also examines the dynamics of repression after the establishment of the Holy Office. During the reign of King João III and Queen Catarina of Austria, the Portuguese monarchy consolidated the tribunal as a tool to centralize power and suppress religious expressions alternative to Catholic orthodoxy. The analysis highlights the political and religious context of the kingdom, emphasizing the Church's influence and the persecution of faith deviants, such as New Christians and women accused of witchcraft. Thus, the impact of the Inquisition illustrates how the repression of unofficial religious practices reinforced the monarchy's and Church's control over the population.