An interrogation room of the Spanish Inquisition with priest and an accused heretic. The Spanish Inquisition was established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms and to replace the Medieval Inquisition, which was under Papal control. The Inquisition was originally intended primarily to ensure the orthodoxy of those who converted from Judaism and Islam. The regulation of the faith of the newly converted was intensified after the royal decrees issued in 1492 and 1502 ordering Jews and Muslims to convert or leave Spain. The Spanish Inquisition is often cited in popular literature and history as an example of Catholic intolerance and repression, and was not abolished until 1834, during the reign of Isabella II. Although records are incomplete, about 150,000 persons were charged with crimes by the Inquisition and about 3,000 were executed. Engraving by Bernard Picart, 1722.