Final answer:
The Inquisition aimed to establish religious conformity in Western Europe, using methods including torture and execution to root out heresy and maintain surveillance on converts, particularly during critical periods of religious conflict.
Step-by-step explanation:
The aim of the Inquisition, initiated in the 1230s by Pope Gregory IX, was to enforce religious uniformity throughout Western Christendom, primarily within the Catholic Church. Suspected heretics faced severe punishments, such as torture and execution, often by being burned at the stake. Accusations of heresy not only threatened personal safety but also put one's property and land at risk of seizure. The Inquisition's methods became more severe in 1252 when Pope Innocent IV authorized the use of torture.
With the advent of the Spanish Inquisition, Muslims and Jews were compelled to convert to Catholicism or leave Spain, underscoring the aim to scrutinize personal beliefs and maintain surveillance on new converts. In the broader historical context, the Inquisition was also a tool for central authority against local potentates and heretical movements.