Claim: In 1517, English merchants were given preferential merchant status-including the right to bear arms in the region, and were also brought under the watch of the Spanish Inquisition, thus many merchants closed up shop and fled .
Evidence: In 1517, English merchants were given preferential merchant status-including the right to bear arms in the region. In addition to triggering the English Reformation and the break from the Roman Catholic Church, it also brought every English merchant in Spain under the watch of the Spanish Inquisition. Many merchants closed up shop and fled while others were jailed for failing to repent or denounce their King.