중세 남부 지중해 유럽의 무슬림과 기독교인 관계 고찰

A study on the relationship between Muslims and Christians in the Medieval Mediterranean–Southern Europe

This paper examines the relationship between Muslims and Christians in South Italy during the 13th century. The Italian Peninsula in the Middle Ages was a place that clearly showed Christian colors and established the foundation of tradition for European humanities represented by Dante. Recently, distinguished scholars have begun to study the Italian Peninsula during transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance with the term ‘Islam.’ In fact, thousands of Italian Muslims belonged to the emperor's army for over 100 years, fighting in the northern cities and taking a decisive role in an endless war among city states of Italy in the Middle Ages. The particular reason why Muslims had an important position in the 13th century Italy is linked with a northeastern city of Italy named ‘Lucera.’ In 1224, Emperor Friedrich II (1194~1250) of the Holy Roman Empire banished and deported all Islams to Lucera. Ever since this incident, Lucera was the city with largest Muslim population in West Europe. Philosopher Walter Benjamin said that the greatest moments of civilization are always based on barbarous acts. At that time, about 15,000~20,000 Arabs were forced to obey the emperor's order, pay severe taxes, and fulfill military duty due to political needs. However, they were able to obtain social mobility through military service and received religious and social protection from the emperor by paying a tax called jizya. Also, the tax paid by Muslims in Lucera became precious property of the royal family, and Lucera was recorded in the history of civilization as a Mediterranean European city with longest sustainment of Islamic culture. Although conflicts arose between deported Muslims and Christians as the Muslim colony was created in this city, bond and unity between these two groups are noteworthy. Identity of Muslims and Christians in Lucera is considered as ‘symbiotic bodies’ that “live together.” Affiliation between Muslims and Christians introduced in this paper was, instead of a temporary alliance created by two hostile communities to oppose a common enemy, a psychological link to one another's culture. For this reason, Muslims and Christians in Lucera shared common cultural customs such as food, language and landscape, resulting in two religions gather under a single flag. This paper considers the complicated relationship between Muslims and Christians in the Southern Italy during the Middle Ages based on the colonial history of Lucera.