Inquisitor
An inquisitor was an official in an inquisition – an organization or program intended to eliminate heresy and other things contrary to the doctrine or teachings of the Catholic faith. Literally, an inquisitor is one who "searches out" or "inquires".
There are also archaic female forms of the word. Inquisitrix was found to be used in the early 1800s and its predecessor inquisitress was found to be used in the early 1700s.
In some cases, inquisitors sought out the social networks that people used to spread heresy.
There were multiple national inquisitions with different approaches and targets.
Controversies
In the Albigensian Crusade a second-hand story arose that inquisitor and general Arnaud Amalric at the storming of Béziers advocated general slaughter, saying “Kill them. For God knows who are his.” Amalric's own report to the Pope was that his troops jumped the gun and took over the town violently before he was aware.Prominent inquisitors
Some of the better-known and notable inquisitors throughout history include:- Peter of Verona, whose canonization was the fastest in history
- Pedro de Arbués
- Nicolau Aymerich author of Directorium Inquisitorum
- Stephen of Bourbon
- Arnaut Catalan
- Fabio Chigi
- Diego Deza
- Bernard Gui
- Heinrich Institoris, author of Malleus Maleficarum
- Francisco Jimenez de Cisneros
- Konrad von Marburg
- Sebastien Michaelis
- Giovanni Pietro Carafa
- Jacob Sprenger, purported co-author of Malleus Maleficarum
- Tomás de Torquemada
- Martín García Ceniceros
- Hentenius
- Vincenza Matilde Testaferrata, female inquisitor