Group

Saracens

Nation Defunct 700 CE – 1268 CE

Saracen is a term for Muslims widely used in Europe during the later medieval era.

The term's meaning evolves during its history.

In the early centuries CE in Greek and Latin it referred to a people who lived in desert areas in and near the Roman province of Arabia, and who were specifically distinguished from Arabs.

In Europe during the Early Medieval era, the term begins to be used to describe Arab tribes as well.

By the 12th century, Saracen has become synonymous with Muslim in Medieval Latin literature.

This expansion of the meaning had begun centuries earlier among the Byzantine Greeks, as evidenced in Byzantine Greek documents from the 8th century.

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Cite this entry

Moran, J. (n.d.). Saracens. History Atlas. Retrieved 1 November 2026, from https://www.historyatlas.com/groups/saracens/

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