The Medieval Migrations of the Muslims and Vikings

The movement and migrations of people groups had a major impact on medieval history. Two major medieval migrations that altered the history of the medieval world were the Muslim migration into the Iberian Peninsula in the early 8th century and the Mongol migration into Eurasia the 12th century.

Arthur Keith, a Scottish anthropologist, once wrote, “Tolerance is held to be a condition of mind which is encouraged by, and is necessary for, civilization. ” In other words, creating a tolerant culture is vital for the survival of society. This need is magnified in a culture involving numerous ethnic and religious ties; a need that was well understood by the Muslims and Mongolians. While the specific impacts of the Muslim and Mongolian migrations vary, both of these groups cultivated a culture of religious tolerance for their native subjects to live under, as evidenced by the formation of the Dhimmi in Muslim Iberia and the religious tolerance of the Khan’s.

The migrations of the Muslim people of the Middle East and North Africa into the Iberian Peninsula had profound effects on the culture and religion of the native peoples. Before the Muslim conquest, Iberia was under the rule of the Visigoths. The ruling Visigoths and the native Iberians varied greatly in terms of ethnicity and religious beliefs, which contributed to constant revolt amongst the region. More specifically, the ruling Visigoths practiced Arianism (1 nature of Christ), while the majority of the natives practiced Catholicism (dual nature of Christ) . This divide caused a great strain in relations between the ruling class of Gothic Kings and the native Iberians.

By the 8th century, the Muslims had completed their conquest of Northern Africa and set ...

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...God . William of Rubruck, a Franciscan missionary, attended a religious debate at the Khan’s court in May of 1254. Also in attendance were various representatives from other religions. Mangu Khan sent his secretaries to the representatives with the message, “Our lord sends us to you to say that you are here Christians, Saracens and Tuins. And each of you says that his doctrine is the best, and his writings--that is, books--the truest. So he wishes that you shall all meet together, and make a comparison, each one writing down his precepts, so that he himself may be able to know the truth. " The hosting of this religious debate by Mangu Khan speaks volumes to open mindedness and curiosity of the Mongols when it came to other religions. Mangu Khan was eager to learn about the other religions and allowed their presence in his kingdom and court.