Discordant voices : the influence of ideology and context on the perceptions of Franciscan and Dominican friars in the thirteenth century concerning Islam and Muslims

In the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the USA, President George W. Bush called for a global crusade, a war on terrorism. Whether Bush intended to or not, with that one word, “crusade”, he polarised the international community by alluding to events which occurred more than seven centuries ago. The response is testament to the lasting impact that this period of Christian-Muslims relations has had on the collective imaginations of societies on both sides of the conflict. It also highlights the contemporary relevance of study in this area. However, this thesis is not principally about the crusades, but concerns a group whose work was inextricably linked to them and their legacy. It examines the perceptions of thirteenth-century Dominican and Franciscan friars concerning Islam and Muslims, in particular the extent to which their perceptions demonstrate the existence of a normative ideology influenced by the needs of crusading. It also explores the relationship between the individual context of each author and similarities and differences between their respective perceptions.