Torquemada,
Tomás de 1420-98; Sp. Dominican monk: first Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition
See Torquemada in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(tôrˌkə-mäˈdə, tôrˌkĕ-mäˈÞä), Tomás de 1420-1498.
Spanish Dominican friar who was appointed grand inquisitor by Pope Innocent VIII (1487). Under his authority, thousands of Jews, suspected witches, and others were killed or tortured during the Spanish Inquisition.