Christians and Muslims in Early Medieval Italy: Perceptions, Encounters, and Clashes

191 Pages·2019·3.216 MB·English

by  Luigi Andrea Berto

Christians and Muslims in Early
Medieval Italy
In the early Middle Ages, Italy became the target of Muslim expansionist
campaigns. The Muslims conquered Sicily, ruling there for more than two
centuries, and conducted many raids against the Italian Peninsula. During this
period, however, Christians and Muslims were not always at war – trade flourished,
and travel to the territories of the ‘other’ was not uncommon. By examining how
Muslims and Christians perceived each other and how they communicated, this
book brings the relationship between Muslims and Christians in early medieval
Italy into clearer focus, showing that the followers of the Cross and those of the
Crescent were in reality not as ignorant of one another as is commonly believed.
Luigi Andrea Berto is Professor of Medieval History at Western Michigan
University, USA. His research focuses on medieval Italy and the Mediterranean,
with a special interest in the use of the past and the relationships between
Christians and Muslims.
Studies in Medieval History and Culture
Recent titles include
The Charisma of Distant Places
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Courtney Luckhardt
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Travel, Pilgrimage and Social Interaction from Antiquity to the Middle Ages
Edited by Jenni Kuuliala and Jussi Rantala
Christians and Muslims
in Early Medieval Italy
Perceptions, Encounters, and Clashes
Luigi Andrea Berto
First published 2020
by Routledge
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and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 Luigi Andrea Berto
The right of Luigi Andrea Berto to be identified as author of this work
has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
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without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this title has been requested
ISBN: 978-0-367-41472-6 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-81464-9 (ebk)
Typeset in Times
by Deanta Global Publishing Services, Chennai, India
Published in Italian in a different version as Cristiani e musulmani
nell’Italia dei primi secoli del Medioevo. Percezioni, scontri e incontri
(Milan: Jouvence, 2018).
Contents
List of maps vii
Abbreviations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1 References, definitions, and circulation of news 9
2 Religious otherness 29
3 Perceptions 47
4 Some light in the darkness: Reading between the lines of the
zealots’ criticism 69
5 Supernatural events 81
6 Why is the enemy attacking us and winning? 93
7 Rewriting history 99
8 The enemy is coming 107
9 Prisoners 113
10 ‘Going’ to the other 125
11 Encounters 141
Conclusions 153
vi Contents
Appendix 155
Maps 159
Bibliography 163
Index 173
Maps
1 The Mediterranean Area 159
2 Sicily 160
3 Southern Italy 160
4 Central Italy 161
5 Northern Italy 161

Abbreviations
BAS Biblioteca Arabo-Sicula, Italian translation by M. Amari,
2 vols. (Turin and Rome, 1880–1881)
MGH Monumenta Germaniae Historica