Introduction: Christians, Muslims and empires in the 16th century

Abstract

In the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire was at the peak of its power. Despite these hostilities and military confrontations, the people of the Mediterranean Christians and Muslims alike shared deep cultural traditions. This chapter presents a short sketch of the historical background against which Christians in western Europe in the 16th century represented and reacted towards Muslims. In addition to Ottoman expansionism, Barbary corsairs raided Spanish ships and coastal towns in search of booty and slaves. In the early 16th century, the Qur'an was already available through translations, though very few people had obtained them or read them, and direct knowledge of Islamic sources was the preserve of no more than a handful of dedicated scholars. The 16th century also saw the beginning of academic interests in the Orient, with chairs in Arabic language being established in Paris (1539) and Leiden (1600). Keywords: Christians; Leiden; Muslims; Ottoman empire; Paris; Qur'an; western Europe