Martyrdom and the Muslim World through Franciscan Eyes

Beginning in 1220, groups of Franciscan friars traveled to Muslim lands, where they testified to the truth of Christian preaching and denounced the lies of Muhammad and Islam. In doing so, the friars intentionally broke Islamic law and were executed. The friars were proclaimed as martyrs, and the stories that preserve their memory valorized the desire for martyrdom rather than the successful conversion of Muslims, serving to emphasize the distinction between the Christian and Muslim worlds.