DE MELLO, FRANCISCO FREIRE. Representação ás Cortes e Invectiva Contra a Inquisição.

This courageous work "dedicated to the Portuguese Nation" was designed to break the stronghold of the "Holy Office of the Inquisition, " which through the centuries was responsible for the destruction of untold lives. Formally established in Portugal in 1536 by King João III, the Inquisition was finally terminated in 1821 by the "General Extraordinary and Constituent Courts of the Portuguese Nation. ". On p. 8, note 12, the author writes: "One of the principal causes of the poverty of the Kingdom was the fact that King Manoel instituted the Inquisition againt the Jews. They, as well as their children, were forcibly baptized. This caused them to flee the Kingdom, taking with them all their capital. " (The reference is to the fact that the Jews were expelled from Portugal in 1496 by King Manoel. Technically though, the Inquisition was not formally instituted until 1536 by King João III.).