33. Not Everybody in Medieval Europe Was Christian or White
Most people in Europe during the Middle Ages were Christian and white, but not all. Medieval Europe had Jews and Muslims, and even Pagans, with the numbers of followers of each religion varying from region to region, depending on its history and culture. Throughout most of the medieval era, Jews could be found in all parts of Europe. Muslims were common – at times even a majority – in the Iberian Peninsula, had a significant presence in Sicily, and could be found in many ports and trading centers. Up north, in Prussia, Scandinavia, and the Baltics, Pagans predominated.
The dividing line in those days was religion, not race. Indeed, race was not as defined back then as it is now, so “white” or “black” mattered less in the Middle Ages than did one’s religion. A swarthy or dark-skinned bishop from Egypt, North Africa, or Nubia, for example, was deemed to be more civilized, and possessed of a higher rank, than a white slave from the Pagan parts of Europe. Discrimination was more likely to be based on religion than skin color, so Jews or Cathars and other European heretics were likely to have a worse time than non-white Christians.
