Ties Between Jews and Muslims During Years 1000-1500, Essay Example

At the time period of 1000-1500 majority of the Jews were literate in the comparison to the other Christians. They are fortunate for not being under the feudal system and not being oppressed. Jews were protected by kings and noble princes because they provided professional administrative, financial and medical assistances. Robert Chazan noted that “this community was to make a valuable contribution to rapidly developing European civilization but was also to suffer some terrible setbacks, culminating in a series of expulsions from the more advanced westerly areas of Europe.“ (23-24) However, starting in 1300 Jews started to be persecuted because of the strengthening and reforms of Roman Catholic Church. Moreover, the Black Death that took place in mid-14^th century took more than a half of the Jewish population. Later in time, namely in 15^th century, Jewish people found necessary security and prosperity in Poland.

Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula and were under the Muslim rule had opportunities to advance in sciences and social studies. During the stage of early Islam Jews had numerous privileges and prosperity. They freely conducted their commercial activities since there was not much social and legislative barriers for them. Jews moved to the new territories conquered by Muslims and created their own communities. Moreover, some Jews were put in control of slave and maritime trade. Moving into 11^th century the nation started experiencing pogroms against them. Violence took place in Spain, North Africa, Egypt, Syria and other Muslim lands.

Iberian Peninsula was used as a trade crossroad between the goods of the Christian Europe and Muslim world. “These goods included raw fibers and woven textiles, spices, metals and metalwork, leather, furs and slaves”. (Waugh S. L., Diehl P. D. 264) The demand was strong for Middle Eastern goods. Major import from East Africa included slaves. On the other hand Europe provided clothing, weapons and glassware. One of the most valued goods remained Indian spices. Arabic merchants dominated western trade. They had exclusive access to the Indian Ocean through the read Sea, confining Jewish commerce to Egyptian ports of Damietta and Alexandria.

The city of Alexandria was one of the important centers for Jewish commercial partnerships. According to author Nathan Roth:

There were partnerships between Jews and Muslims; however, generally the Jewish merchants were united in a partnership of cooperative activity that operated in all the lands of the Mediterranean basin, which was the secret of the Jewish merchant’s success.” (17) The partnerships between the Jews and Muslim were always thoroughly defined by their laws. The contract made was usually a joint ownership and sale or an investment agreement with shared profits. Jewish merchants were widely involved in the trade between western Mediterranean areas and Egypt.  At that time linen was one of the mostly exported goods of Egypt as well as sugar and pix. Imports mainly included silk for country’s internal use and to export further to the Mediterranean states. Jewish merchants were involved with the silk trade supplying Spain and Sicily. A big numbers of Jews in 12^th century was also involved in the production of silk in Constantinople.

Jews and Muslims also intersected in Sudan where lived a great number of Jewish communities. The Jewish center was located in the area of major caravan route to the country. But mostly important was trade with India. Jewish and Muslim merchants made trips by land and sea to the far country to get the goods.

To understand the relationship between the Jews and Muslims in the time period between 1000-1500 it is essential to consider their long-lasting ties, the strong influence of Islam over Judaism and the great role Jewish communities played in preserving Arabic culture in the Western Mediterranean areas. Oldest Jewish communities stretched from Eastern Mediterranean to Mesopotamia and across North Africa reaching onto Iberian peninsula. “Already at the end of the Middle Ages one encounters among Jews the belief that medieval Islam provided a peaceful haven for Jews, whereas Christendom relentlessly persecuted them.” (Cohen M. R., 13) Muslims and Jews lived in harmony and peace under the Islamic law during the times the latter have been strongly persecuted by the Christendom. There were a number of massacre conflicts between Muslims and Jews; however, on a large scare the two nations achieved a strong level of tolerance and cultural integration.

Works Cited

Chazan, Robert. “The Jews of Medieval Western Christendom, 1000-1500” (2006): 23-24

Cohen, Marc R. “Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages” (1994): 13

Roth, Nathan. “Medieval Jewish Civilization an encyclopedia” (1991): 17

Waugh, Samuel L., Diehl, Peter D. “Christendom and its discontents“ (2001): 264