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From the mid-11^th century onwards there were significant Muslim minorities in the lands of Latin Christendom, both in the Mediterranean and central and eastern Europe. Living as a people apart, but impressively integrated in Christian-dominated society, these communities made important contributions to the shaping of European society and culture. But their experiences varied considerably. Some were “liberated” by conquest, while others were eventually exiled, expelled, or forced to convert, while a few persisted into the modern era. While religious identity defined their status in Christian society it did not necessarily shape their experience, which varied considerably over time and place. On the whole, they were a group who were regarded as legitimate members of Christian lands, and whose loyalty and value was broadly acknowledged. Their history shows that Muslims have historically had a place in Christian societies, and that they too are members of “Western” society.

Brian A. Catlos works on Muslim-Christian-Jewish relations and ethno-religious identity in medieval Europe and the Islamic World, and the history of the pre-Modern Mediterranean. He co-directs The Mediterranean Seminar, a forum for interdisciplinary collaboration in Mediterranean Studies with over 1300 affiliates worldwide. His books, The Victors and the Vanquished: Christians and Muslims in Catalonia and Aragon, 1050–1300 (2004); Infidel Kings and Unholy Warriors: Faith, Power, and Violence in the Age of Crusade and Jihad (2014), Muslims of Medieval Latin Christendom, c. 1050–1614 (2014) and Kingdoms of Faith: A New History of Islamic Spain (2018), have won prizes from the AHA, MESA, and the Medieval Academy and have been published in seven languages.