The mechanisms of rejection: flows, figures and plots of failure in the Portuguese inquisitorial career (1670-1780)

Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to explore still little-known aspects of the functioning of the Portuguese Inquisition: how, why and when applications for positions as inquisitorial agents were denied. In order to do this, the investigation focuses on two axes of interest. Firstly, it analyzes the administrative procedures taken by the institution to reject qualified employees predominantly aspiring to the positions of comissário and familiar of the Holy Office who were considered inapt, pointing out what the main impediments were. Then, from the full examination of the Habilitações Incompletas of the Court of the Holy Office, it presents, through the statistical survey, how the temporal and spatial distribution of these process­es took place in the territorial space of the Lusitanian Empire, with special attention to Portuguese America.

Keywords:
Portuguese Inquisition; Court of the Holy Office; Inquisitorial career