Satanism and witchcraft in portuguese inquisition

analysis of the monitoring of the inquisitor general dom Diogo da Sylva, from 1536

Abstract

The present work aims to understand the Modern Inquisition's belief in the existence of witches and Satanists. Thus, through this research it will be possible to point to the 15th century as the turning point in matters linked to witchcraft and demonolatry, considering that inquisitors and theologians began to defend that the powers of witches and Satanists were real and, therefore, they should be punished. The article took as a source of analysis the monitoring of the inquisitor general of Portugal, Dom Diogo da Sylva, published in 1536. In processing the data, an ethnographic notion was used, such as that defended by Robert Darnton (1984), in which we seek to understand the mental universe of the natives through historical sources. The results obtained led us to conclude that the belief in the existence of witches and Satanists was the basis for the repression of pagan remnants and the use of social groups as scapegoats to alleviate social tensions.