THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
sion of the New Testament and had it printed at Antwerp in 1543 for distribution in Spain. Besides, manj- convents of monks and nuns, especially those in the neighborhood of Seville and Valladolid, were largely leavened with the Protestant heresy. In spite of this impetus, Protestantism was effectually suppressed in Spain after a brief career of scarcely half a century. The chief repressive agency was the Inquisition, which assumed in Spain, as the joint instrument of civil and religious absolutism, its sternest form, and made use of the most drastic and arbitrary methods. But it is to be remarked that the Protestant forces in Spain were paralyzed and finally overcome, not so much by the violent persecution at home as by the unfavorable impression made upon the Spanish people by the actions of Protestants abroad. The uprising of the German peasants in 1524 in behalf of social reform caused great alarm among the privileged classes in Spain and greatly prejudiced them against the introduction of doctrines which seemed to foment revolution elsewhere. Greater antagonism was aroused by the alliance of the Protestant princes of Germany with the king of France, Francis I., the bitter enemy of Spain, and later was increased by the revolt of the Protestants in the Netherlands against Spanish rule, so that after a time Protestants came to be looked upon not only as heretics but as traitors and rebels, and it became increasingly difficult for any loyal Spaniard to embrace Protestantism. Prior to the abdication of Charles V in 1546 the activities of the Inquisition against Protestants were somewhat restricted, and though Philip II. on his accession gave it a free hand, the work of extermination was not begun in deep earnest until 1557 The first " auto da f6 " was celebrated at Valladolid in 1559, and thereafter the work of executing Protestant victims in the principal cities of Spain was conducted under the joint auspices of Church and State, combining the features of a religious festival and a popular holiday. In 1559 it is estimated that there were 1,000 Protestants in each of the cities, Seville and Valladolid, and a relatively large number in other sections of Spain. By the year 1570 Protestantism in Spain was cut off, root and branch, practically all of its converts having suffered either banishment or martyrdom, and for the three centuries that followed the blood of its martyrs was as seed in barren soil.
II. Anticlerical Movements: If it was fanatical patriotism allied with ecclesiasticism that crushed the Protestant movement in Spain in the sixteenth century, it has been an enlightened i. Political patriotism arrayed against ecclesias- Opposition. ticism that has afforded a shield for the Evangelical forces in Spain in modern times. The radical and revolutionary philosophy of the French skeptics of the eighteenth century early found an easy, though a restricted, ground in Spain. Under its tuition many Spaniards saw their country fastened on by a parasitic tribe of nearly 140,000 priests, nuns, and sacristans, and they welcomed the Voltairean estimate of their worth. The cataclysm of the French Revolution did still more to disseminate the seeds of popular freedom, and before the downfall of Napoleon, liberalism was fully
born in Spain and prepared to enter, as in other Latin countries, into the long war against absolutism and clericalism. The first decisive step was taken in 1812, during the exile of King Ferdinand VII. The Spanish cortes, assembled for the first time in many years, was largely composed of lawyers and literary men, and though they swore to tolerate no faith but Roman Catholicism in the land, they abolished the Inquisition, curtailed the power of the clergy, and framed a constitution. The restoration of Ferdinand in 1814 resulted in the overturning of their work and a violent persecution in the vain attempt to exterminate the Liberal party. From the death of Ferdinand, in 1833, until 1873 occurred a series of heated revolutionary conflicts between the liberal and conservative elements, with alternating victories, but with the anti-clerical cause steadily gaining ground. In 1851, by the concordat established with the pope (see Concordats and Delimiting Bulls, VII.), the monastic orders were limited to three. In 1854 the Liberals, being then in power, after granting compensation, sold the church lands. In 1858 and again in 1868 religious liberty and freedom of worship were proclaimed, but this meant only freedom to attack the Church of Rome, and full religious tolerance was by no means established. In 1873 the cortes proclaimed a republic, but this was overthrown by the army and Alphonso XII. was seated on the throne. From that time onward the monarchy has continued, and political questions have usually been settled by an appeal to the electorate, rather than to force. Politics among the leaders has largely degenerated into a scramble for the spoils of office, accompanied by more or less compromise with the church party, but there has come to Spain in these years, through the spread of liberal principles, an increasing measure of civil and religious liberty. The most significant event for Protestantism of late years was the returning to power, in the election of 1910, of Premier Jose1 Canalejas and his party, upon a platform pledging, among other reforms, absolute freedom of worship, civil supervision of conventual establishments, and the laicization of schools and colleges. The significance of this may be seen when it is understood that, previous to 1910, the Protestant denominations and missions were prohibited from displaying any insignia of worship or of propagating their doctrines publicly; and that, according to a recent count, the number of monks and nuns and other ecclesiastical officials in Spain totalled 154,517, receiving about eight million dollars yearly directly from the national treasury, besides various exemptions and privileges. The first step in the execution of this program brought about a break with Rome, the papal nuncio was recalled, and at the close of the year he had not returned to the Spanish court. Another phase of this anticlerical movement is the constantly diminishing respect shown by layman and ecclesiastic for ecclesiastical 2. Dissent authority even in the sphere of religion. and This tendency is noticeable in the in- Unbelief. dependent spirit animating the several orders in their relation to each other and to the local clergy. Indeed, so loose has grown the bond between them and so bitter has