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Why Was the Inquisition Introduced in Spain in the 15th Century? The 15th Century was a very hard time for the Jewish people of Spain. The Jews were kicked out from the entire Iberian peninsula in the span of only one century. The Jews were first expelled from Spain in 1492, and later in the 15th century, expelled from Portugal in 1496. When given the choice of between conversion or death, many Jews chose conversion. These Jews …

…e Conversos. The Conversos were "Jews in all but name, and Christians in nothing but form " which lead to their persecution. The Christians did not take kindly to their lackluster conversions and the Inquisition thus targeted mainly the Conversos. This was the beginning of ethnic cleansing on the Iberian peninsula, which continued for the Jews four years later in Portugal, and in Spain this continued a decade years later with the expulsion of the Muslims.