War and Religion
Peter T. Madsen
In the literary field, intertwinement of war and religion is nowhere as prominent in epic poetry. Within European horizon Christian-Muslim confrontations are prominent, not only chansons de geste Renaissance epics, standard highlights history, but right back to early Muslim-Byzantine Carolingian warfare Iberian Peninsula, well through seventeenth even eighteenth centuries. This chapter explores ways which poetry participates spatial delineations cultural articulations Europe a Christian realm from Peninsula Mediterranean Central Eastern Europe. It also considers variety nuances may be detected beyond overall religious framing conflicts: empathy vis-à-vis enemy articulated, problematic behavior national-imperial soldiery exposed; admiration for aspects Muslim culture – major enemies articulated; furthermore commercial other secular concerns (like piracy) motivate that framed religious.
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