ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses predominantly on what was known as ‘Christendom’, while also discussing the views and beliefs of parts that are now considered to be in ‘Europe’ or part of the Eurasian peninsula. It offers a richer and more diverse examination of the multitude of ideas that can be found in ‘Europe’ at this time, as well as differences between Latin Christian ideas and that of Orthodox Christians (in Byzantium and Eastern Europe) as well as Islamic, Jewish and pagan views on sex and sexuality. Islam has had an immense impact on the Christian world and ‘turned Europe into [Latin] Christianity’s main base’. Muslim territory initially cut Latin Christians off from other religions and civilisations from the seventh century shifting Christianity northwards as Islam took over the southern Mediterranean. Between 950 and 1300 the population of Europe tripled, and urbanisation doubled the size of urban centres twofold between 1050 and 1300 across large parts of Europe.
