Medievalists.net

Where the Middle Ages Begin

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Features
  • News
  • Online Courses
  • Podcast
  • Patreon Login
  • About Us & More
    • About Us
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Films & TV
    • Medieval Studies Programs
    • Places To See
    • Teaching Resources
    • Articles

Medievalists.net

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Features
  • News
  • Online Courses
  • Podcast
  • Patreon Login
  • About Us & More
    • About Us
    • Books
    • Videos
    • Films & TV
    • Medieval Studies Programs
    • Places To See
    • Teaching Resources
    • Articles
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Articles

Pagans by Comparisons: Medieval Christian and Muslim Constructions of the Pagan “Other”

by Sandra Alvarez
July 23, 2011
Pagans by Comparisons: Medieval Christian and Muslim Constructions of the Pagan “Other”

Busalacchi, Philip

Perspectives: A Journal of Historical Inquiry, Vol.37 (2010)

Introduction: During the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries German and Danish clergymen and knights set off on a crusade to the lands of the eastern Baltic Sea into the modern day Latvia. Henricus Lettus, a young German priest joined the mission and wrote extensively about his experiences. The goal of the crusade was to conquer and convert the local pagan population to Catholicism and create an ecclesiastical state, thereby expanding the boundaries of Christianity.

Three hundred years later and thousands of miles away, Emperor Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur led an army of Muslims from their central Asian homeland of Transoxiana into the Indian sub-continent. He planned to conquer “Hindustan” to establish his own empire and expand the lands of “Dar al-Islam” or the land of Muslims. As for the local Hindu population, Babur was indifferent to their religious beliefs and practices, so long as they did not interfere with his mission.

These seemingly unrelated events do contain a common thread. Both efforts to expand religious powers were endeavors that constructed pagans as “others.” Christian and Muslim societies of the Middle Ages have been the subject of much research, but usually standing alone or studied together in locations where they came into contact or conflict with each other, such as the Holy Land during the Crusades. This type of research, while extremely important and informative, provides a limited perspective into these two distinct cultural realms. Few scholars have studied the way Christians and Muslims viewed and constructed pagans, a group they both fought against but each in their own distinct way. A comparative analysis of Christian and Muslim constructions of pagan people as inferior “others” has the potential to help historians to understand both Christian and Muslim cultures and societies of the medieval period.

Click here to read this article from Perspectives

Subscribe to Medievalverse




Related Posts

  • Crusades in Europe
  • Which Baltic God/Goddess Are You?
  • The Expansion of Christendom: Crusading in Northern Europe, 1147 - 1415
  • "The Arabs" in the ecclesiastical historians of the 4th/5th centuries : effects on contemporary Christian-Muslim relations
  • "The Arabs" in the ecclesiastical historians of the 4th/5th centuries : effects on contemporary Christian-Muslim relations
TagsBaltic region in the Middle Ages • Bede • Christianity in the Middle Ages • Conversion in the Middle Ages • Crusades • High Middle Ages • Islam in the Middle Ages • Knights in the Middle Ages • Latvia • Livonia • Medieval Denmark • Medieval Ecclesiastical History • Medieval Germany • Medieval Literature • Medieval Military History • Medieval Politics • Medieval Social History • Paganism in the Middle Ages • Philosophy in the Middle Ages • Thirteenth century • Twelfth Century

Post navigation

Previous Post Previous Post
Next Post Next Post

Medievalists Membership

Become a member to get ad-free access to our website and our articles. Thank you for supporting our website!

Sign Up Member Login

More from Medievalists.net

Become a Patron

We've created a Patreon for Medievalists.net as we want to transition to a more community-funded model.

 

We aim to be the leading content provider about all things medieval. Our website, podcast and Youtube page offers news and resources about the Middle Ages. We hope that are our audience wants to support us so that we can further develop our podcast, hire more writers, build more content, and remove the advertising on our platforms. This will also allow our fans to get more involved in what content we do produce.

Become a Patron Member Login

Medievalists.net

Footer Menu

  • Privacy Policy
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Copyright © 2025 Medievalists.net
  • Powered by WordPress
  • Theme: Uku by Elmastudio
Follow us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter