Portugal Inquisition

Inquisition (Diligências de Habilitações)
Research use: Extremely valuable for providing extensive genealogical information on selected families.

Record type: Dossiers of candidates for posts in the Portuguese Inquisition.

General: For three centuries, the Portuguese Inquisition led by the Catholic Church investigated those accused of religious infidelity. Candidates for investigation by the Inquisition had to prove “purity of blood.” Examinations probed the ancestry of both the man and his spouse or fiancée. Those accepted were exempt from taxation, from military service, and were given priority in the distribution of meat, fish, bread, wood, and coal. These records should not be confused with criminal trials. Some of these, concerning the prosecution of Brazilian Morriscos (Jews forcibly converted to Christianity) who were tried in Lisbon, was acquired by the Family History Library in 1972 from the National Archive.

Time period: 1532-1821.

Contents: There are 12,000 dossiers containing certificates of birth and marriage and are often filled with family trees identifying the ancestry of the candidates.

Location: National Archive.

Population coverage: 10%.

Reliability: Excellent.