Who was the main target of the Spanish Inquisition?

The primary target of the Spanish Inquisition was converted Jews, known as conversos, and later, Protestants. The Inquisition was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, primarily to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, especially after the Reconquista, when Spain came under Christian rule.

Initially, the focus was on ensuring that conversos, who had converted from Judaism to Catholicism, were genuinely adhering to Catholic practices. The Inquisition often suspecting that they secretly practiced Judaism, led to widespread persecution as they were viewed with great mistrust. As Protestant Reformation ideas began to spread, the Inquisition also targeted those who were seen as deviating from Catholic doctrine, thus expanding its scope to include Protestants.

While other groups, such as Muslim converts to Christianity or secular philosophers, faced scrutiny, the intensity and systematic nature of the Inquisition was squarely directed at those who had converted from Judaism and later at those influenced by the Protestant Reformation. This historical context highlights why the chosen answer accurately reflects the main targets of the institution.