Catholic courts were established by the papacy at the beginning of the 13th century and continued until the 16th century. The courts of Spain in particular were historically famous for the methods of torture they used against Muslims, Jews, and Christians who disagreed with their beliefs.
The Spanish Inquisition remained a dominant force for more than 200 years, and during that period it was said that it carried out about 32,000 executions. Galileo Galli, Giordano Bruno, and Rene Descartes became victims of the Spanish Inquisition.