author
Henry Charles Lea
1825–1909
A Philadelphia publisher turned historian, he became famous for deeply researched books on the medieval church and the Inquisition. His work helped set a high bar for documentary history in the United States.
10 Audiobooks
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 4
by Henry Charles Lea
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 2
by Henry Charles Lea
A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages; volume I
by Henry Charles Lea
The inquisition in the Spanish dependencies Sicily—Naples—Sardinia—Milan—the Canaries—Mexico—Peru—New Granada
by Henry Charles Lea
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 1
by Henry Charles Lea
An Historical Sketch of Sacerdotal Celibacy in the Christian Church
by Henry Charles Lea
A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages; volume II
by Henry Charles Lea
A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages; volume III
by Henry Charles Lea
Superstition and Force Essays on the Wager of Law, the Wager of Battle, the Ordeal, Torture
by Henry Charles Lea
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 3
by Henry Charles Lea
About the author
Born in Philadelphia in 1825, Henry Charles Lea grew up in a family of publishers and was educated largely at home. He joined the family firm in the 1840s, worked in publishing for many years, and gradually built a second career as a scholar.
Lea is best remembered for large, meticulously researched studies of medieval church institutions, especially the Inquisition. His major works include A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages and A History of the Inquisition of Spain, books that established his reputation as one of the leading American historians of his era.
He was also active in civic reform and philanthropy in Philadelphia. Lea died there in 1909, leaving behind both an important body of historical writing and a reputation for unusually careful, evidence-driven scholarship.