The Spanish Inquisition was one of the most feared institutions in
Western history. Set up by the Roman Catholic church to suppress heresy
it operated in France, Italy, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire and was
later extended to the Americas. Trials were held in secret, torture was
common, and penalties ranged from simple fines and flogging to death by
burning. Lea's magisterial study remains one of the most detailed and
comprehensive accounts ever published. It continues to be an essential
source for scholars of the Inquisition and medieval Spain. This edition
includes the scarce volume on the inquisition in the Spanish
dependencies. Introduced by Professor Lu Ann Homza, a leading
contemporay scholar of the Inquisition, this handsome 5 volume set will
be welcomed by researchers, collectors and institutions alike.