Some Aspects of the History of the Christian-Muslim Relations in the Circassian Mamluk State

Abstract

The article is devoted to little-known aspects of the Christian-Muslim relations in the Mamluk state dealing with suppression of the Christian wine-production and wine-trade. In the 13th and 14th centuries the Muslim world affected by serious historical challenges (the Crusades and the Mongol invasion) went through a certain moral revolution. It stimulated the spirit of religious fundamentalism, implementation of the norms of the Islamic piety and the oppression of the religious minorities. During the “century of persecutions” (1260s–1360s) campaigns of religious repressions against Dhimmis repeated several times being motivated by a certain irrational rhythm of social aggression of the lower classes of the Muslim society. However in the late 14th and 15th centuries another factor of the persecutions became obvious. The “Black Death” pandemic and following waves of the epidemics of plague, natural disasters and famine caused an atmosphere of apocalyptic expectations and penitence. These sentiments led to campaigns against social vices as wine-drinking, drugs consumption and prostitution, which were supposed to be the reasons of the Divine punishment. The article analyses coincidences between the years of plague and famine and the religious persecutions of the Dhimmis, first of all suppression of the wine-trade which was strongly associated with the Christians.