Medieval Theocracies

Paper Summary:

In this paper the author argues that in order to understand religion and politics during the Middle Ages, it is important to study both Christian and Islamic medieval theocracies. First, the concept of a theocracy is defined. This is followed by a description of Islamic law and religion, which are intertwined. Medieval Islam is then contrasted with Papal Christianity of the same era. Despite their differences, the author explains that Christian and Islamic theocracies shared the same concept of expansion. This is illustrated through Islamic and Christian crusades and forced conversions.

From the Paper:

"Before one can appreciate the differences and similarities between medieval Christian and Islamic theocracies, one must have a thorough understanding of the mechanics of a theocratic political system. In a theocracy, "the divine power...governs an earthly human state, either in person...or, more often, via its religious institutional representative(s)..., either replacing or dominating the organs of civil government as clerical or spiritual representative(s) of god(s)." (Wikipedia Contributors). Therefore, technically the Papal States in Italy were Europe's only real example of a theocracy. (Wikipedia Contributors). Likewise, when Medina was ruled by Muhammad and Muhammad's theocracy in Mecca are considered Islam's true early theocracies. (Wikipedia Contributors). However, the reality is that, in medieval times, many countries were practical theocracies. While they were nominally ruled by monarchs or other political figures, these leaders were oftentimes so heavily influenced by religious leaders that it became impossible to separate political and religious doctrine."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Arlandson, James. "Islamic Crusades vs. Christian Crusades: Who Should Own the Kingdom of Heaven?" 2005. Answering Islam. 3 Oct. 2006 < http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/crusades.htm>.
• Latourette, Kenneth. "Chapter 6: Revival and Involvement in Medieval Europe, A.D. 950 -1350." Christianity Through the Ages. Harper & Row: New York, 1965. Religion-online.org. 3 Oct. 2006 <http://www.religion-online.org/showchapter.asp?title=532&C=577>.
• Ross, Kelley. "Islam: 622 AD-Present." 2005. About.com. 3 Oct. 2006 <http://historymedren.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=historymedren&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.friesian.com%2Fislam.htm>.
• Wikipedia Contributors. "Theocracy." 2006. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 3 Oct. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theocracy>.

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