Roman Inquisition

Thomas F. Mayer is Professor of History at Augustana College. He is author of Reginald Pole: Prince and Prophet, and editor and translator of The Trial of Galileo, 1612-1633.

• IntroductionChapter 1. The Roman Inquisition's OperationsChapter 2. The Sacred Congregation: Inquisitors Before 1623Chapter 3. The Sacred Congregation Under Urban VIIIChapter 4. The Professional StaffChapter 5. Inquisition Procedure: The Holy Office's Use of InquisitioConclusionAppendixList of AbbreviationsNotesSelected BibliographyIndexAcknowledgments

"Mayer provides a crucial analysis of the ways in which inquisitorial activities could fit into the political agenda of the popes and illuminates both the power and limits of the inquisitions as papal tools in the context of Italian political rivalries. As with his first volume, this work will be essential to anyone seeking a fuller understanding of the Roman inquisition at the turn of the seventeenth century." (Jonathan Seitz, American Historical Review) "An extremely important project. Mayer brings an unprecedented amount of archival research to the table, and his findings will be epoch-making and definitive." (Henry Ansgar Kelly, University of California, Los Angeles) "A profoundly researched analysis of how the Sacred Congregation of the Roman Inquisition actually operated at the center, its procedures, developed 'style,' and jurisprudence as revealed by congregational registers, inquisitors' manuals, and apt sample cases. We learn of the personnel involved, from Cardinal Inquisitors to consultants and notaries. Mayer is especially revealing about some involved in judging Galileo's books and behavior." (Christopher Black, University of Glasgow)