The Inquisition was used by the Catholic Church to suppress heresy long before the start of the Spanish Inquisition in 1478. The Inquisition in Spain was granted to investigate Jews who had converted to Christianity, but it was soon hijacked by the state and used as a bludgeon against Jewish and Muslim communities that had lived in the region for centuries. This book examines the historical background behind this shameful period, the consequences of the persecution of the Jews, and how the Inquisition was used in the battle of public perceptions when the Reformation divided Christianity in the West. Included is a timeline of the important dates in the more than three hundred years of the Inquisition.