Evaluate changes in the portrayal of the Iberian Inquisition throughout historyThe Inquisition was a religious institution that policed ​​the new Christians in the Iberian Peninsula. The Inquisition was a consequence of hundreds of years of negative relations towards non-Catholics in Europe. It began around 1478 and ended in 1834; over the course of three hundred and fifty-six years the responses to the inquisition change immensely. This was partly due to the fact that many lay people were being indoctrinated by anti-Semitic and pro-Catholic propaganda. Pre-existing anti-Semitic sentiment in Europe, along with earlier medieval inquisitions, helped allow the Iberian Inquisition to become part of the Spanish and Portuguese way of life. This acceptance changed later in Iberian history due to the numerous factors that led to the abolition of the Inquisition. The Inquisition's initial response was predetermined by anti-Jewish judgment heightened by the Black Death in Spain. The lack of scientific development meant that Jews were blamed for the plague pandemic that occurred between 1347 and 1350. At the time the Jewish community was an important part of the Spanish economy, as the king and queen were the only providers of money they were trying to protect them. However, measures to stop the plague continually failed, further fueling hatred towards the Jewish population. In 1492, King Ferdinand and Isabella issued the Alhambra Decree expelling the Jews from their territories. They went into great detail to create a subtle form of propaganda, indoctrinating the public to believe that Jews were a form of "disease" that would infect good Christians. The converts who remained in the Iberian Peninsula became the main target of the inquisition. These converts called conve...... middle of paper ......resentment of the Iberian Inquisition into a complete manor it is not difficult to see that the way it is viewed has changed exponentially. From its early stages as a good Catholic's way of protecting himself from the evil of the Jewish population to its oppressive status during the Age of Enlightenment, the Iberian Inquisition changed along with its portrayal. In my opinion these changes occur thanks to the natural progression of human knowledge, thus creating progressions in acceptance. At the end of the 16th century the level of religious tolerance expected today would have been unheard of. This makes the less condemning opinions of modern historians hardly shocking. To the extent that the Inquisition's views have changed, I believe they will continue to change as we, as a society, continue to make the natural progression of knowledge and acceptance...