In the late tenth Century in the west, the mass of people stayed put. So much so that where people lived was part of their name. You might be known as Abbo of Fleury or Geoffrey of St. Albans. The road to salvation At Santiago di Compostella, in the northwestern corner of the Iberian peninsula, is the tomb of Santiago or St. James. The marble sarcophagus is decorated with celestial candles.
Angels keep constant vigil.
No wonder that, along with Rome and Jerusalem itself, Santiago was right up there on the list of best pilgrimages of 999. The young King Otto III is now 20 although he has reigned as king of the Germans since he was three. He believes the existence of his empire stands between the world and the coming of the Antichrist. The late tenth Century was a golden age in the Muslim world. Westerners visiting Arab cities as the first millenium drew to a close must have been in awe.