Medieval European epics invented Saracen idolatry to justify crusader violence

Evidence

In the Chanson de Roland, the Saracens destroy their own idols when they prove themselves powerless against the army of God. These idols of gold, inlaid with precious stones, to whom the Saragossans had offered the symbols of power (scepter and crown), provide a vivid and concrete (though completely imaginary) focus for the military activities of the valiant Christian knight. The crusader, in Spain or Syria, can strike stoutly and with a clear conscience, for the Saracens’ idolatry is proof plenty that “Pagans are wrong and Christians are right” (l. 1015). — John V. Tolan, Saracens, 589

Categorization

• XREF: This is the engine behind Edward Said’s orientalism thesis — the West constructs the East to authorize its own domination. Also connects to any medieval romance featuring idol-worshipping Saracens.