Religious Minorities Persecuted in Spain: Conversos, Moriscos, Protestants

The Spanish Inquisition targeted groups whose faith was deemed insincere or heretical:

• Conversos: Jews who converted to Christianity; many secretly practiced Judaism—punished, expelled, or executed.
• Moriscos: Muslims forced to convert after the Reconquista; crypto-Islam led to persecution and eventual expulsion (1609).
• Protestants: Lutherans, Calvinists, and other reformers; tried for heresy, especially in the 16th century.

These campaigns enforced Catholic orthodoxy and political unity under the Crown.