At the Gate of Christendom: Jews, Muslims and 'Pagans' in Medieval Hungary, c.1000 - c.1300

by Nora Berend

Overview

This is a study of the economic, social, legal and religious position of three minorities within the medieval Christian kingdom of Hungary. The book demonstrates that the status of such minorities depended not simply on Christian religious tenets, but on a larger framework—including the legal and social system, economic possibilities, and conflicts between kings and the clergy. It also investigates the situation "at the gate of Christendom"—the frontier with the nomad world—and the way this affected both Christian and non-Christian interaction and Christian ideology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521027205
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	11/02/2006
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series , #50
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	364
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x 0.98(d)

Table of Contents

List of maps; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Hungary: a frontier society; 2. Christians and non-Christians; 3. The legal position of Hungary's non-Christian population; 4. Non-Christians in Hungarian economy and society; 5. Conflicts between the papacy and the kings; 6. Christian perceptions and attitudes; 7. Non-Christian communities: continuity, transformation, conversion and assimilation; Conclusion; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...a fine first book from an excellent young scholar. One looks forward eagerly to the next." SPECULUM

"The book is a model for future studies of Jewish-Christian and Muslim-Christian relations in the Middle Ages." Theological Studies

"Nora Berend's book will certainly become an indispensable tool for those interested in the history of medieval Hungary, the relations between the Catholic majority and the non-Christian minorities in European countries under Rome's spiritual influence, the policy of the theocratic papacy toward the non-Catholic communities in the thirteenth century, and the specific situation in the bordering countries of the Latin Christian world." Slavic Review

"This enlightening book will be helpful for all those interested in the dynamics of ethnic identity, persecution and tolerance, and religious identification." Stephen D. Benin, Religious Studies Review

"[An] impeccably researched and beautifully organized book." American Historical Review

"Berend's research shows a fascinating variety of approaches to dealing with non-Christian minorities, and she is able to show how many factors contributed to the varying efforts to convert, exterminate, tolerate, or even incoporate these groups into Hungarian society...A good...resource for academic libraries supporting upper level history students." Catholic Library World

"Nora Berend has found a unique topic that presents a wide range of questions on religion and social identity...Berend uses an impressive array of documentation...an interesting and recommendable study." Comitatus

From the Publisher