Christians under Muslim rule in Spain shifted from martyr-seeking to pragmatic accommodation

Evidence

In al-Andalus, tact and diplomacy reign. In 969 John of Gorze, monk and emissary of emperor Otto I, came to Córdoba hoping to win a martyr’s crown. He brought letters in which Otto attacked Islam. The Cordovan Christians managed to cool John’s suicidal ardor and convince him not to deliver his incendiary letters. In the following centuries, Mozarab Christians sought to defend their place in the dâr al-Islâm rather than questioning or attacking it. Martyrdom, it seems, had lost its charm. — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 552

Categorization

• XREF: Complicates the victimhood frame in Anidjar/Aziz/Razack vault claims by showing Cordovan Christians actively cooling a visiting emperor’s envoy’s desire for confrontation with Islam.