Saraceni, Mauri, Agareni, etc. in Latin Christian sources of the 7th to 11th century.

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Matthias Becher
• Subject Area: Medieval History
• Term: from 2013 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 246445243

In the course of the Arab conquests, which had their beginning in the 7th century, the conquerors finally entered the European continent. With them they brought their Islamic religion. Already this vicinity between the resident Christian population and the so-called Saracens brought about contacts between the different groups which are documented in Latin Christian written records. Hitherto research has especially focussed on the time of the crusades. Our present-day view of how the Latin Christian West imagined Islam is therefore highly influenced by experiences and contacts which were made during the crusades. So far, there is but little comprehensive research regarding the Latin Christian perspective in the time prior to the first crusade that looks closer at representations of Saracens transported by contemporary sources.The project is to fill this research gap first of all by registering all records about Saracens passed down in Latin Christian sources of the 7th to 11th century. This will be done by means of an electronic database. Secondly, the representation of Saracens in selected sources of the 8th to 11th century will be carefully examined with special regard to the conceptions of these individuals or groups which are conveyed by the authors.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants