Missionary conversion succeeded among conquered Muslims in Christian lands, not overseas
Evidence
The famous Arabic studium founded by San Ramon claimed ten thousand conversions, and particularly the conversion of the educated. The admission of missionaries to Muslim populations in southern Italy was even the subject of successful negotation between the Pope and Frederick II. These efforts measure the failure of the missions overseas. — Norman Daniel, Islam and the West, 680
Categorization
Category: Contrarian or Surprising Claims
- XREF: Reverses the usual assumption that conversion is a spiritual process independent of political power — conversion in practice tracked conquest and jurisdiction.
Related
- Medieval missions succeeded only where Christian political power held sway (similarity 0.92)
- Medieval missions to Islam targeted Christians, not Muslim converts (similarity 0.80)
- Conquest cannot convert peoples; preaching requires language skill and doctrinal study (similarity 0.79)
- Medieval popes realistically pursued Muslim conversion only where Christian arms prevailed (similarity 0.79)
- Successful missionizing to Muslims was expected only where force had already triumphed (similarity 0.79)
- Missionary conversion relied on state power more than persuasion (similarity 0.78)
- Medieval missionaries aimed at martyrdom rather than Muslim conversion (similarity 0.78)