Christenhead

/ˈkrɪsənhɛd/ noun

Definition

The state or condition of being Christian, or the collective group of all Christian people and Christian lands.

Etymology

From 'christen' (Old English 'cristnian') + 'head' (Old English 'heafod', meaning chief or state). Medieval texts used this term to denote the unified Christian world as opposed to heathen or pagan territories.

Kelly Says

During the Crusades, 'Christenhead' was a political and religious identity that united Europe against the Islamic world—it shows how faith and geography were inseparable in medieval thinking.

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