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CHAPTER II THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE INQUISITION As the fifteenth century advanced, it became increasingly obvious that the recent mass-conversions to Christianity had enhanced, rather than solved, the difficulties of the religious position in Spain. Instead of the previous homogeneous body of Jews, there was now in addition a vast number of titular Christians scattered throughout the country, pushing their way into every walk of life, and constituting a problem of their own. The attitude of the Church in relation to them was easily understandable. As we have seen, Roman Catholicism officially disapproved of the policy of securing conversions by force. It was nevertheless held widely, if not universally, that conversions thus secured were valid. The victims therefore had to be considered in the fullest degree sons of the Church, any reversion to their former beliefs or practice being an heretical action. Much, moreover, depended upon the interpretation of the term “violence.” If a man were dragged forcibly to the font and baptized, in spite of his protests, there was no question about the invalidity of the baptism. If on the other hand he consented to the operation in order to save his life, there was an element of spontaneity in the transaction. If he came forward voluntarily, in anticipation of attack, it might be said that he accepted baptism of his own free will. Sometimes, the element of compulsion was even more remote and indirect. More29
