Forgers and martyrs : conflicting histories of the Portuguese Inquisition (1598-1647)

The lack of historical works on the Portuguese Inquisition (1536-1821) produced by its members might lead us to conclude that the ministers and officials of the tribunal gave no special value to this form of knowledge. On the contrary, by looking back to the first half of the seventeenth century and focusing on two case studies — that of the Dominican António de Sousa and that of Manuel do Vale de Moura — this article shows how the Portuguese inquisitors were often involved in a struggle to define a historical image of the Holy Office. Original documents, kept under lock and key in the archives of the tribunal, were examined quite early on, but actually gave support to opposing views regarding the interests of the Inquisition. In a complex balance, sometimes the executioners took up the arguments and justifications of their victims, revealing unexpected points of agreement between the two.