The Inquisition was a movement in the Catholic Church seeking to root out heresy by prosecuting, imprisoning, and executing accused heretics and enemies of the Church. The Inquisition began in France in the twelfth century, reached its height in Spain and Portugal during the Renaissance and Counter-Reformation, and was abolished in the early nineteenth century. The Inquisition in Spain and Portugal extensively persecuted Jews, leading them to imprison Trim’s brother Tom for marrying a Jewish man’s widow.
Get the entire Tristram Shandy LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Inquisition Term Timeline in Tristram Shandy
The timeline below shows where the term The Inquisition appears in Tristram Shandy. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Book 2: Chapters 16-19
...Dr. Slop suggests that a Catholic writing in such a tone would be sent to the Inquisition Trim becomes very emotional, explaining the story of his brother Tom. Tom moved to Lisbon...
(full context)
The sermon turns to the Inquisition , upsetting Trim once again, who becomes convinced that the victim of the Inquisition it...
(full context)
Book 9: Chapters 1-5
...married her or had made pork sausages, perhaps he would not be a prisoner of the Inquisition today. Nothing is as important as freedom, Trim argues, twirling his stick to demonstrate. (The...
(full context)
