Overview
The Portuguese Inquisition investigated baptized Christians accused of secretly maintaining Jewish beliefs or practices. Because Portugal’s Jews had been subjected to forced conversion, inquisitorial prosecution affected families whose identities, customs, and religious knowledge varied greatly. Trials relied upon denunciations, genealogical inquiry, confiscation, imprisonment, and public punishment. Inquisitorial records reveal domestic rituals and transnational relationships, but they must be read critically because testimony was produced under coercion. Persecution also encouraged migration toward Amsterdam, London, Bordeaux, Italy, North Africa, and Atlantic colonies, helping shape the Western Sephardic diaspora while dividing families across jurisdictions.
