he heard faintly laughter

A typo there, methinks. But I have a historical question for you - I'm fuzzy on the Inquisition (my period ends, essentially, at the Battle of Bosworth, in England, with the end of the Plantagenet line). But I thought the Inquisition in Italy came well after the Spanish Inquisition - mid-1540's, or thereabouts. And surely, if it's Cesare Borgia, there's about a half-century differential, because Cesare died young, early in the 16th century.

So....what am I missing? Because the story's damned interesting, and I'm trying to place the historical markers in my head.

The Inquisition has been around as a formal body since the 1200s. According to my "Timetables of History," it was in 1233 that the Dominicans were put in charge of the Inquisition by the pope. Divisions of the Inquistion existed in all Catholic lands. The Spanish Inquisition was formed as a separate body under the control of the state and the church in 1481.

I am playing a little loose with the term "Holy Office." The Inquisition wasn't formalized with a permanent staff and organization under the name "the Congregation of the Holy Office" until 1542. Rome (and, I suppose, the Anti-Popes in Avignon in the 13th/14th century) was running oversight, though, from early on.

(neat, I'm footnoting posts: [link] has the details)

Please tell me I don't want to filk the Pratt case to "Goodbye,Earl." Cause I don't.

I have not done that yet, but there is some more L&O/Martha Stewart.

It was still early when they arrived, but Chez Stewart was teeming with activity. The domestic goddess herself was in the kitchen stirring up something red and congealing enough to make Lennie take a second look.

“Cranberry compote, gentlemen?” she offered. “I usually like to pick my own berries, but there’s some blight in Maine or something.”

“Don’t you hate it when that happens?” Lennie quipped.

“Well, yes, I do. But, you know, mustn’t grumble.” If she had any idea he was kidding, she gave no sign. Musn’t grumble? Must be Rich Bitch for “Shit happens.” Van Buren would get a kick out of it.

“I understand.” Green said. “But we’re here as part of a homicide investigation, not to eat.”

“Homicide? Well, I don’t have time to talk to you right now... come back, noonish, ok? If these berries set up they’ll be a bear to clean out of my pots.”

“We thought you might say that, so we had Serena make you a present. This is a subpoena. We ran out of time to make our own paper, sorry.”

connie, thanks - it was an upper-case I in inquisition that made me fasten on the formally-named Roman one, and I was pretty sure that was well after Cesare bought the farm.

erika, filk! filk! filk!

Oh, God, you really wanna see that? Even though when you play country backwards you get your wife, truck, and dog back? But it is a sick joke about domestic violence and revenge by a band Commandant Fuckwit hates, so it's "Homicide".

erika, that's precisely why. I still take my hat off to Dennis Franz for being Earl" in the video.

OMG...I forgot about that...there was such a kerfuffle about that video, I forgot that was him. Sipowicz rules.

Take That, Pratt

(to the tune of Goodbye, Earl, almost) Kay and the Munchkin were the best of friends,
Working long detective days,

Putting down cases, remembering faces,
Putting the braindeads away.
Kay was the first one in,

Nothing special about that,
But problems galore, they had the wrong door,

And Kay got shot by Gordon Pratt.
Munchkin struggled with his pain

And wrestled with his shock,

But he decided the best legal system,
Was himself and a Glock.
Cause Gordo had to die,
Let’s ventilate that brain.
Pratt. Cause you’re racist and insane.
Gordo had to die.
Take that, Pratt.
What’s ancient Greek for “dead”?
Take that, Pratt.
Timmy took the call, though he didn’t want to at all.

(It’s just his way.
) He had to say things weren’t ok
On that creepy back-up call.
Get to know that floor, Pratt.

Should’ve fired before, Pratt.

Cause Gordo had to die.

Things went okay with Munch’s plan.
Back to work Beau, Kay, and Stan.
Timmy trusts his fellow man.
Munchkin grouses day and night,

About his work, about the Right,
But he doesn’t lose any sleep at night,
Cause Gordo had to die.

MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

erika, remind me to send you goodies when it comes time for our vow renewal.

Munch and a Glock. Meepmeepmeep.

I know he did it. I just know. Because despite his transformation into a law-protecting individual(certain, um, avenues of spiritual discovery aside) you touch his people, you'll have hell to pay.(He probably wouldn't go after somebody who shot *him* that strenously but Kay and Stanley are Munch's life.) And he was a pretentious little asshole, besides. And that's like, Munch's gig, left-wing version. People who've only seen him on L&O get horrified by the suggestion, but I want to have a telethon for them, anyway.