Irish Voices from the Spanish Inquisition
Migrants, Converts and Brokers in Early Modern Iberia
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Palgrave Macmillan
Published:8th Mar '16
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This book explores the activities of early modern Irish migrants in Spain, particularly their rather surprising association with the Spanish Inquisition. Pushed from home by political, economic and religious instability, and attracted to Spain by the wealth and opportunities of its burgeoning economy and empire, the incoming Irish fell prey to the Spanish Inquisition. For the inquisitors, the Irish, as vassals of Elizabeth I, were initially viewed as a heretical threat and suffered prosecution for Protestant heresy. However, for most Irish migrants, their dual status as English vassals and loyal Catholics permitted them to adapt quickly to provide brokerage and intermediary services to the Spanish state, mediating informally between it and Protestant jurisdictions, especially England. The Irish were particularly successful in forging an association with the Inquisition to convert incoming Protestant soldiers, merchants and operatives for useful service in Catholic Spain. As both victims and agents of the Inquisition, the Irish emerge as a versatile and complex migrant group. Their activities complicate our view of early modern migration and raise questions about the role of migrant groups and their foreign networks in the core historical narratives of Ireland, Spain and England, and in the history of their connections. Irish Voices from the Spanish Inquisition throws new light on how the Inquisition worked, not only as an organ of doctrinal police, but also in its unexpected role as a cross-creedal instrument of conversion and assimilation.
“Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this remarkable volume will be required reading for anyone interested in early modern history in general and migrant history in particular.” (Salvador Ryan, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Vol. 69, 2018)
“This new book aims to provide a groundbreaking analysis of the activities and role played by the Irish migrants in Spain and in the Spanish colonies in America during the early modern period. … O’Connor’s book is an outstanding and extremely well-researched investigation that has contributed to a significant expansion of the historiography on the cultural, political, and religious links that existed between Ireland the Spanish monarchy.” (Matteo Binasco, The Catholic Historical Review, Vol. 103 (2), 2017)
ISBN: 9781137465894
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 4777g
280 pages
1st ed. 2016