Mad for God: Bartolomé Sánchez, the Secret Messiah of Cardenete

by Sara Tilghman Nalle

Convinced he was the Elijah Messiah, the Spanish peasant Bartolomé Sánchez believed that God had sent him in divine retribution for the crimes committed by the Inquisition and the Church. Sánchez's vocal and intolerable religious deviance quickly landed him in the very court he believed he was sent to destroy. Fortunately for him, the first inquisitor assigned to his case came to believe that Sánchez was not guilty by virtue of insanity, and tried to collect the proof that would save his life. For seven years, Sánchez shuttled between jails, hospitals, and his home village while his fate hung in the balance. Nalle convincingly evokes the compassion of Sánchez's first inquisitor, Pedro Cortes, as he struggled to save his prisoner's life, and argues that the Spanish, compared to other Europeans of the day, were remarkably rational and humane when dealing with the mentally ill. A gripping tale of madness and religious conviction, Mad for God offers new historical insight into the ongoing debate over the nature of religious inspiration, insanity, and criminal responsibility.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

228 pages, Paperback

First published December 22, 2000

Reviews

[Brumaire Bodbyl-Mast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assigned for Class- Using only scant inquisition sources, Nalle recreates the life of the “Elijah Messiah,” of Cardenete. The work dives into the difference between madness and heresy in the early modern period, and whilst the first half it may seem that Sanchez is sane, it is eventually ‘revealed’ that half of what he has said was not recorded by the notary. The inquisitors who try him and their staff are contextualized alongside him, and thus given greater life, aiding in immersing the reader. Sanchez himself is well discussed, and given proper context within the world of early modern Spain. It does display well how people perceived madness in the 16th century, ironically in someways their views becoming more superstitious, while in other ways becoming more medicalized. Overall, it’s an interesting enough read with great prose, despite some strange choices in source usage

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for HIST 3175 - I thought this was an insightful, well-written account of a very long Inquisition trial during the 1550's. Some of the things that the man being tried said were very funny, such as his argument that the Church should allow incest because of Adam and Eve. As it was written in a way where Nalle took the archive and translated/condensed it for the reader, it was easy to understand and it allowed her to give explanations for things I might not have fully understood. That being said, sometimes I wished I just had access to the trial transcripts that she was reading because it does make me wonder what she potentially saw as unimportant and how her writing is a reflection of her conclusions, meaning that maybe I would have different ones.

[Un Perogrullo]

Muy bacana las historia y muy bien recopilada y contada.

[Stephania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through the life of Bartolome Sanchez and his dealings with the Inquisition, we a look at 16th century Spain and the complexities of religious, bureaucratic, social, and peasant life. Prolific use of primary source material (the Inquisitors were nothing if not meticulous record keepers) really brings a lot of detail and allows us an in-depth look at both Sanchez's and Inquisitor Cortes's religious views. Author Nalle masterfully demonstrates how the lives of these two men really captures an era of great change in Spain and how other happenings in the larger world helped formulate both their ideas - and potentially led to "madness."

For those looking to explore the history of Spain, the early Inquisition, peasant life, the treatment of mental illness, or break the ideas of the leyenda negra, its a good book to pick up. I think it is also accessibly written for both general audiences, novices, and experts in the field.

There are some few, tedious points early in the book and I would have preferred a little more analysis of certain topics (I'd have loved to have heard more of Sanchez's wife or children, for example, and think there was really a missed opportunity there) - overall though, a good work and a (short!) solid read.

[Leslie (updates on SG) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this microhistory (my first!) for Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge, and actually enjoyed it. The book truly exemplifies how

[t]he issues raised by Sanchez's story are at the same time universal and specific to the cultural environment of sixteenth-century Spain: Who decides what is a genuine message from God? Who should possess certain kinds of knowledge? What goes beyond the boundaries of rational behavior? And what constitutes a crime?

The writing is very accessible and smoothly weaves in excerpts of Bartolome Sanchez's Inquisition trial and contemporary ideas about religion and insanity. I also like how the author at the end reminds us of the incomplete nature of history and makes us question the validity of documents.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic microhistory of the Spanish Inquisition, highly recommended! Superb context and very readable.

[Matthew Picardat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique look into the Spanish Inquisition and it's view on madness and perception of heresy.