Medieval Europe - Comparing Frontier Societies

COMPARING FRONTIER SOCIETIES

SPAIN AND SICILY
GEOGRAPHICAL AND CONTEXTUAL SIMILARITIES (IN AD 1000).
(WHICH M AKE THEM SUI TABLE FOR COMPARISON)

- Both were at the very fringes of Latin Christendom.
- Both encountered a country dominated initially by the Muslims; a population they
had to interact and deal with continuously,
- Both interacted with Judaism.
- Both were centres for the exchange of learning and amalgamated culture.
- Both ruled by devout Christians.




Comparison of their qualities as a frontier…


Iberia Sicily


An ‘open’ frontier. Not an ‘open’ frontier.


Localised power. Centralised power.


A ‘society organised for war’. Not a ‘society organised for war’.


New agriculture techniques Advanced agriculture nothing new.

Latin Europeans have relatively little of their
own to contribute.

Latin-European ‘frontier technologies’ less
significant than elsewhere.

Organised settlement process indicated by
No organised settlement process.
planned towns and villages.

In some respects, a high degree of fusion
Not a lot of fusion.
with Muslim Sicily.

Pattern familiar, but process distinctive.