Did people really escape from Spain before the Inquisition could arrest them? This is a common question I’m asked when I explain the premise of my novel, City of Liars. Is it based on history or is this book a fantasy? Admittedly, the Inquisition was fueled by doggedness toward their mission to purify the land of heresy and apostasy. And Monty Python aside, they used the element of surprise and terror. The Santa Hermandad fraternity was appointed as a private mercenary force by Queen Isabel and operated outside the law. So, what is the evidence that escape and rescue missions really happened?

The Inquisition Documents

The Inquisition kept meticulous records of all their activities and the results. Their statistics show a pattern of escalation of Conversos fleeing to safety in the years leading up to the Expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492.

In Barcelona alone:

• 1487: 4 executed, 12 burned in effigy
• 1488: 3 executed, 14 burned in effigy
• 1489: 3 executed, 39 burned in effigy
• 1490: 2 executed, 159 burned in effigy
• 1491: 3 executed, 139 burned in effigy

New Laws

Once the Inquisition obtained the full force and authority of the sovereigns Ferdinand and Isabel, a number of unprecedented measures were instituted to stem the flow of fugitives. What this tells us is that the King and Queen considered the problem of escaping heretics rampant.

• They issued edicts prohibiting all Conversos from leaving Spain, closed the borders to them.
• Fines were levied up to 500 florins on ship masters who conveyed Conversos by sea. Until that time ships had been regarded as their own sovereign country.
• After the Expulsion no ship captain or merchant could transport any Converso without royal license under pain of confiscation, excommunication and being deemed a collaborator.
• A new police force was established at the ports to arrest anyone attempting to stowaway.
• Transport of Conversos by any Spanish ship between foreign ports was even prohibited.

Recapture Efforts

Great efforts were made to track down and apprehend those who had succeeded in escaping to foreign shores. In 1496, the Inquisitor of Mallorca traveled to Béjaïa in North Africa to capture and return a heretic to face trial. But the local Moors threw him in jail. He was kept in a dungeon for three years but was finally ransomed.

Disguises and Ruse

The records of the town council of Xeres de la Fonterra recount the entry of a man into the city carrying a kind of Billy club, calling himself the Alguazil (Sheriff) for the Inquisition and arrested one Gonçalo Caçabé and carted him off without showing any legal warrant to local officials.

It all adds up to a picture of the undaunted yearning for freedom and the creative ingenuity born of necessity. It’s also fun to spin random historical facts into a plot. If you would like to learn more, see The History of the Inquisition of Spain by Henry Charles Lea.

So to add a little levity, enjoy some Monty Python.