Question 1

True or false: The Spanish Inquisition used the Iron Maiden as a common torture device.

Accepted Answer

False. The Iron Maiden is a 19th-century fabrication; there is no historical evidence the Spanish Inquisition ever used such a device.

Question 2

True or false: The Spanish Inquisition primarily targeted conversos suspected of secretly practicing Judaism.

Accepted Answer

True. The Spanish Inquisition focused on conversos (Jewish converts to Christianity) accused of relapsing to Judaism, especially in its early years.

Question 3

True or false: The Spanish Inquisition was directly controlled by the Pope in Rome.

Accepted Answer

False. The Spanish Inquisition was a state institution under the Spanish monarchy, not under direct papal authority, though the Pope initially approved it.

Question 4

True or false: The Spanish Inquisition executed over 10,000 people each year during its peak.

Accepted Answer

False. Estimates of total executions by the Spanish Inquisition over its entire history range from 2,000 to 5,000, not per year.

Question 5

True or false: The Spanish Inquisition was established in 1478 by Ferdinand and Isabella.

Accepted Answer

True. The Spanish Inquisition was created in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, to maintain Catholic orthodoxy.

Question 6

True or false: The Spanish Inquisition ordered the expulsion of all Jews from Spain in 1492.

Accepted Answer

False. The Alhambra Decree expelling Jews was issued by Ferdinand and Isabella, not by the Spanish Inquisition, which only dealt with baptized Christians.

Question 7

True or false: The Spanish Inquisition rarely executed people for witchcraft because its officials were skeptical of such claims.

Accepted Answer

True. Unlike other European witch hunts, the Spanish Inquisition treated witchcraft accusations with caution and executed very few for that crime.

Question 8

True or false: The Spanish Inquisition was officially abolished in 1834.

Accepted Answer

True. The Spanish Inquisition was dissolved by royal decree in 1834 under Queen Isabella II, ending over 350 years of operation.

The Spanish Inquisition Trivia Questions