12. The Spanish Inquisition Was Unusually Brutal
The Spanish Inquisition is often remembered as the epitome of cruelty, but this reputation was largely shaped by Enlightenment writers and Protestant propagandists. These accounts deliberately exaggerated its brutality to serve political and religious agendas. While the Inquisition was severe, its punishments were frequently no harsher than those of other European courts of the same era—and sometimes even less so. For a balanced perspective on this much-maligned institution, see the BBC.
