English Encounters with the Spanish Inquisition: Faith, Nationhood and Heresy, 1558-1604

Between 1524 and 1604, several hundred Englishmen found themselves in contact with the Spanish Inquisition.This book draws on the records of their experiences and testimonies to provide a fresh perspective on a crucial period of religious divergence.In the context of increasing animosity between England and Spain, Teresa Tinsley looks at how those individuals managed the international encounters they were exposed to and what they had to say about their lives in England - particularly their experiences of religion.Cross cultural contact - whether through trade or war - brought individuals face to face with differences in religious faith and practice; interrogation by the Inquisition forced them to articulate these.This has resulted in a unique corpus of historical evidence, mostly relating to the time of Queen Elizabeth I, examined here in detail for the very first time. English Encounters with the Spanish Inquisition comprehensively examines the diverse range of circumstances which bro