Olivia Remie Constable

This project compares the situation of Muslims living in thirteenth-century Europe in the realms of James I of Aragon, Alfonso X of Castile, and Frederick II of Sicily. Each of these rulers had Muslim subjects living under their rule as a result of Christian military conquests of Muslim territory. The study also analyzes another contemporary ruler, Louis IX of France, and his outlook on Islam. Each ruler conceptualized and controlled the identity of subject Muslims in slightly different ways. Comparison of these four monarchs and their varying relationships with Muslims and Islam reveals that pragmatism and regional context, more than theological arguments, determined the course of relations between Christians and Muslims in medieval Europe.