Imagine being captured in war, or kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery. The terror you would feel. Throughout most of the Middle Ages and later, such atrocities were commonplace: Christians and Muslims fought battles, and enslaved their conquests. Members of these two religions were supposed to hate each other. And many did. But they also fell in love. And, despite their differences, found kinship, and dangerous romance. This groundbreaking book tells how Muslims and Christians captured and captivated each other, and how stories about their passionate love for the ‘other’ travelled and changed, from the Arabian Nights, across the Mediterranean and beyond.

Imagine being captured in war, or kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery. The terror you would feel. Throughout most of the Middle Ages and later, such atrocities were commonplace: Christians and Muslims fought battles, and enslaved their conquests. Members of these two religions were supposed to hate each other. And many did. But they also fell in love. And, despite their differences, found kinship, and dangerous romance. This groundbreaking book tells how Muslims and Christians captured and captivated each other, and how stories about their passionate love for the ‘other’ travelled and changed, from the Arabian Nights, across the Mediterranean and beyond.