The preoccupation with the rapid advancement of the Ottoman Empire in this period makes it understandable why medieval references to Muslims as "Saracens" or "Ishmaelites" gave way to the almost ubiquitous designation of "Turks." Christian authors frequently invoked the problem of "the Turkish threat" in order to rally support for crusades or wars against the Ottomans, but, as we shall see, the designation of "Turk" also functioned to denigrate one's opponents in other Christian communities. The term, like its medieval predecessors, had ethnic, political, and religious dimensions.

DEFINE: Explains the historical shift in terminology from 'Saracens'/'Ishmaelites' to 'Turks,' showing how the term carried ethnic, political, and religious dimensions.

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 144