Toward a History of the Portuguese Inquisition Trends in Modern Historiography (1974-2009)

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The Portuguese Inquisition’s general history has yet to be written. This article explores the reason of such a surprising dearth, in a close comparison with the Italian and Spanish cases. A wide range of works is here discussed in order to promote a perspective from which the first critical synthesis on the Portuguese Inquisition could come to light. Firstly, classic historiography will be analyzed up to the ‘Carnation Revolution’ (1974). Since then, modern historiography has remarkably developed. So, the focus will be on the three main lines of research on a court that marked the religious life of early modern Portugal : the relationship of the Inquisition with State and society ; the collaboration between the inquisitors and other ecclesiastical agents, as well as the forms of resistance from inside the Church ; the multifaceted action of the Inquisition in the colonial empire.