1095–1104: King Coloman of Hungary’s Legislation against Islam

Abstract

Muslims had been living under Hungarian rule since the Hungarian invasion of the Carpathian basin in the ninth century, and they continued to settle in the Hungarian realm even later. The laws concerning Islam that were enacted by the Hungarian king Coloman between 1095 and 1104, betray a detailed knowledge of Islamic ritual law. Aimed at eradicating Islam, they were issued by a king with a clerical background, who, in doing this, may have anticipated the expectations of the reform papacy and a Latin West which was succumbing to crusading frenzy. By enacting these laws, he continued his predecessors' efforts at Christianisation. At the same time, he contributed to enhancing the centralisation of his domain under a monarchical system which, despite this and later measures against Islam, retained Muslim communities into the thirteenth century.