All Questions
6 questions
32
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Did Muslim states hire Western European knights as mercenaries before the Crusades?
In the book Hattin by John France the following claim is made:
The fighting qualities of western knights were widely recognized in
the Mediterranean lands, and they were often employed even by ...
- 25.8k
2
votes
2
answers
304
views
Earliest use of Renaissance Era innovations in Islamic countries & culture?
Though the title may be vaguely broad, I have two specific things in mind I wanted to ask about.
While I was recently considering the cultural and technological advancements of Europeans in the ...
- 1,026
16
votes
1
answer
791
views
Was Mohammed known and respected in seventeenth-century Europe?
I’m reading Andrew Pettigree’s fascinating book, The Invention of News: How the world came to know about itself. In the early days of newsprint, many felt that only people who actually needed to know ...
- 307
9
votes
2
answers
858
views
What reached Scandinavia/Northern Germany first: Muslims, or Islamic texts?
Years ago i had the chance to leaf through some Qur'an translations (Latin, German? some bilingual with Arabic text) in a library in northern Germany which are dated to 16th century and later. As we ...
- 1,499
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Were Christian Mediterranean ports open to Muslim traders in the middle ages?
This article talks about Muslim-christian trade in the middle ages 11th-14th century, also referenced in this answer.
In brief: Trade greatly intensified after the crusaded and was conducted at ...
- 4,764
17
votes
7
answers
13k
views
Was Islam really responsible for the Italian Renaissance?
I recently heard a big claim from a Muslim, that the Italian Renaissance was largely caused by the positive Islamic influence on Europe via Spain or Al Andalus.
I have my doubts about this claim, ...
- 215