cultural resources in henrik ibsen's early environment - Ibsen.net

had aroused the Inquisition's attention. Only a few of the persecuted were publicly
martyred by the terrifying, the most barbaric wild dignified (værdige), human-sacrificing,
autos-da-fé; far more persons, of whom one could not find the least criticism, pined away
long years in underground prisons, without anyone knowing where they were or what
crimes they had committed. 6 What an outrageous misuse of the most gentle religion.
Until then the kingdom of Granada had survived more through internal
disagreements among Christians than by its own power. The closer relationship between
Castilians and Aragonians under Ferdinand and Isabella heralded its fall. Conflicts within
the ruling family of Granada facilitated the ventures of these twin rulers against Granada,
and also provided a pretext for the war by which to break a truce that had been formerly
concluded, to take possession of Zehra and to refuse to pay the usual tribute. Ferdinand
moved (an army) into Granada, where Abu Abdallah (Boabdil) had ejected his father
from the throne, and fought against his uncle al Zagal, who desired to take advantage of
the riots in order to mount (the throne) himself. Actually they divided the little realm
among themselves, but Zagal, who did not see himself ready to defend his part against the
Christians, sold his fortresses to Ferdinand and Isabella, who daily came closer to their
goal. Soon the Moors held no more than Granada itself, and 60,000 Castilians and
Aragonians moved against it, led by the greatest warrior of the time, one Ponce de Leon y
Gonsalvo de Cordova, to whom his contemporaries unanimously ascribed the name the
great commander-in-chief. In order to incite even swifter action, Isabella herself appeared
in the camp, and in order to make the seige more comfortable, ordered the construction of
6 “The Inquisition,” says Gifford, “which Ferdinand first introduced in Spain’s constitution, and which he
unfortunately fostered, obscured the nation’s prosperity with its evil repression, and, although its branches
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