The Muslims of Medieval Italy - (New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys) by Alex Metcalfe (Paperback)

About the Book

A general historical introduction to the Muslims of Medieval Italy which presents specific information regarding social, religious, administrative, political, cultural, artistic and intellectual questions.

Book Synopsis

This significant new work focuses on the formation and fragmentation of an Arab-Muslim state and its society in Sicily and south Italy between 800 and 1300, which led to the formation of an enduring Muslim-Christian frontier during the age of the Crusades. It examines the long- and short-term impact of Muslim authority in regions that were to fall into the hands of European rulers, and explains how and why Muslim and Norman conquests imported radically different dynamics to the central Mediterranean. On the island of Sicily, a majority Muslim population came to be ruled by Christian kings who adopted and adapted political ideologies from Mediterranean regimes, while absorbing cultural influences from the diverse peoples over whom they reigned. This work provides an engaging, expert and wide-ranging introduction to the subject, and offers fresh, clear insights into the evolution of both Europe and the Islamic world.Key Features*An authoritative new book in a field where very little has yet been written*Explores the formation of lasting Muslim-Christian frontiers in medieval Europe. *Covers issues including Muslim-Christian relations, conquest, colonisation, conflict and acculturation, and the transmission and exchange of ideas from east to west*Suitable for a range of readers from the interested public and students to university researchers

From the Back Cover

The Muslims of Medieval Italy Alex Metcalfe This significant new work focuses on the formation and fragmentation of an Arab-Muslim state and its society in Sicily and south Italy between 800 and 1300, which led to the formation of an enduring Muslim-Christian frontier during the age of the Crusades. It examines the long- and short-term impact of Muslim authority in regions that were to fall into the hands of European rulers, and explains how and why Muslim and Norman conquests imported radically different dynamics to the central Mediterranean. On the island of Sicily, a majority Muslim population came to be ruled by Christian kings who adopted and adapted political ideologies from Mediterranean regimes, while absorbing cultural influences from the diverse peoples over whom they reigned. This work provides an engaging, expert and wide-ranging introduction to the subject, and offers fresh, clear insights into the evolution of both Europe and the Islamic world. Alex Metcalfe is Senior Lecturer in History at Lancaster University. He is author of The Society of Norman Italy (ed. with G. A. Loud, 2002) and Muslims and Christians in Norman Sicily (2003). The New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys Series Editor: Carole Hillenbrand

Review Quotes

Explores Arab-Muslim rule and society in Sicily and south Italy from 800 to 1300

--Hiroshi Takayama, University of Tokyo "The English Historical Review"

'Sicily's rich and unique history during this period of intense contact--first under Muslim rule and then under Norman rule--is here superbly narrated and analysed. The author aims to provide both a survey and a monograph, a very difficult task, which he handles very well. On the one hand, it can be used as a reference book for any aspect of Muslim presence in Sicily and southern Italy in the medieval period; while at the same time it also offers fresh analysis, and is always challenging.'--Yossef Rapoport, Queen Mary University of London "Journal of Islamic Studies"

Metcalfe ... deserves the gratitude of everyone who teaches medieval Mediterranean history and has wondered why Sicily has been so underrepresented, in comparison to Spain and Syria, when it comes to readable surveys in English. The author's ability to access sources in all of the relevant languages permits an unusually balanced treatment that gives as much attention to Arabic as it does to Greek and Latin documentation... A useful survey of a complicated subject that deserves the attention of our students.--Kenneth Baxter Wolf, Pomona College "American Historical Review"

About the Author

Alex Metcalfe is a Lecturer in History at Lancaster University. He is the author of Muslims and Christians in Norman Sicily (Routledge-Curzon, 2003).