Who were the first inquisitors?
Cases of heresy were tried before the court of the local bishop with appeal to Rome but in some areas it was felt that back up was required. Consequently, inquisitors were appointed by the pope to carry out independent investigations as a second front. The inquisitor was usually a member of one of the mendicant orders, either a Franciscan or a Dominican monk who did not have any special powers except those already enjoyed by the local bishop. However, it is likely that they held considerable moral authority as they were educated men with a mandate from Rome that would have helped ensure co-operation. The first direct commission of inquisitors that we possess is Ille humani generis, a letter of Gregory IX to a Dominican prior ordering him to send out inquisitors to deal with heresy in his area.
