In 732, a Muslim army from Iberia under the
command of Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi invaded France. It was not very much out of the usual.
Iberian Muslims occasionally raided France since having conquered Spain in 711. However,
this time was different in that the Muslims were stopped at the Battle of Tours by Charles
Martel, Charlemagne’s grandfather. Whatever temporary gains the Muslims had achieved in France
were slowly pushed back by the Franks. The last Muslim stronghold Narbonne finally fell in 759 and
Muslims were completely pushed over the Pyrenees. That’s it for Muslim political
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also help support the channel. Back to the video. In 887 a small ship carrying
around twenty Andalusian sailors landed near the modern town of St. Tropez.
They took over a settlement called Freinet and established themselves in the fort overlooking
the town. The fort was named Fraxinetum which is usually the name used for almost all subsequent
fortresses that the Muslims would come to take over. These days the mountain is known as “Massif
des Maures” or “the Mountain of the Moors”. Now, we’re not really clear on who these men
were and how only twenty of them were able to accomplish this. Most of the sources on the
story I’m about to tell you are Christian. We have hardly any Arab sources that even mention
the region. As Christians were the target of their raids, you can imagine why the authors of our
sources were salty. As a result, it’s difficult to draw a complete and unbiased picture of what
happened. So, even though, modern scholars have used these sources and the historical method
very diligently, almost everything in this video is probably slightly incorrect. For example, the
twenty Andalusian sailors who conquered Fraxinetum might have been a bit more than 20 and
might not have been Andalusians but they did conquer Fraxinetum so it's an interesting
story despite the problems with the sources. After conquering this impenetrable fortress, the
Andalusians called on their Muslim brethren. They got help from the Iberian coast, north Africa
and Sicily, all of which were obviously under Muslim control. By 906, they controlled and raided
almost all of modern-day Provence. We know that they even occupied the town of Acqui near Genoa
in Italy. By 939, the Andalusians crossed the Alps and raided northern Italy as well as southern
Switzerland. They attacked the monastery of St. Gall and destroyed the abbey of Aguane in
the Valais. Around the same time in 935, Genoa was sacked by North African and Sicilian Muslims
who raided from the south. Although, it’s likely the Muslims of Fraxinetum joined them as well.
The reason that they were able to do all this is because Western Europe was going through
serious problems at the time. The Carolingian Empire had just fallen and everyone was trying
to accumulate as much power as they could. Although, even then the Muslims became too much of
a hassle to tolerate so naturally, local authority was inspired to do something about the problem.
In 941, the king of Italy, Hugo of Arles assembled an army to attack Fraxinetum and put an end to
it. He even got help from the Byzantine emperor Romanus Lecapenus who sent a fleet which was to
help from the sea, in case of any reinforcements. This is where it gets interesting. Apparently,
just when he was about to destroy the Muslims, he did what's called a pro-gamer move and allied
with them instead. There were multiple reasons for this. The crown of Italy was being challenged
and he didn’t want his rivals invading with an army from the North. In addition to that,
the King of East Francia (modern-day Germany) and the future Holy Roman Emperor, Otto the Great
was accumulating power in the north. King Hugo just wanted a buffer between him and the threats
to the north. The final reason is that the Muslims of Fraxinetum were being sheltered by none other
than Caliph Abd al-Rahman III of Cordoba. Again, sources are kind of fuzzy but we know that both
Otto and Hugo reached out to Abd al-Rahman III regarding the Muslim raiders so, even if he wasn’t
their patron (and that’s a big if), some people at the time might’ve thought that he was. Although,
frankly, it sounds exactly like something Abd al-Rahman would do. Hugo of Arles seems to have
been active in trading with Abd al-Rahman III and didn’t want to disrupt the relations. In fact, an
interesting story goes that when Abd al-Rahman III made peace with the Muslim ruler of Barcelona,
the peace negotiations were attended by some franks and Italians. According to some sources,
Hugo was actually one of the people involved. Because of his alliance with the
less-than-desirable allies in order to protect his own interests, Hugo is obviously really
criticized in Christian sources who would have compared him with the CIA during the cold war if
they didn’t live before the CIA and the Cold War. Now, what did the alliance result in? The Muslims
had entrenched themselves in the Alpine passes where they harassed and robbed pilgrims
going between Francia and Italy. Hugo allowed them to remain there and actually
encouraged them to raid neighbouring regions to weaken them so an invading army wouldn’t
be able to replenish its supplies here. Although, they were less like highway bandits
robbing the alpine passages and more like toll collectors. They collected toll on different
kinds of items, in other words extortion. This resulted in the Muslims becoming crazy
wealthy and they started acting like a real kingdom by propping up a string of fortresses
and taxing the area they controlled. They didn’t intervene in the religion of the people who were
now, technically, their subjects. Obviously, they did raid and destroy monasteries. They also tried
to play a part in the local politics, for example, by sheltering rebels and renegades. There’s even
a traveller’s account where it’s mentioned that the Saracens and locals were living together
peacefully in the Italian Hilltown of Vercelli. One weird thing about Fraxinetum, however, is that
despite dealing with Christians, there never seems to have been a leader or a commander that was
mentioned anywhere. There is one in the Islamic sources, Nasr ibn Ahmad who is mentioned as “the
governor of the Balearic Islands who commanded Fraxinetum” but the problem with that is obvious.
Fraxinetum was never under the control of the Balearic Islands and those islands, in turn,
were under the control of Abd al-Rahman III. The alliance with Hugo and the era afterwards
resulted in the peak of the power of Fraxinetum. Although, the confidence they gained from so
successfully and frankly, easily conquering so much area was going to become their doom.
They raided the Upper Rhine Valley which was under the control of Otto. Otto had good relations
with Abd al-Rahman III and he called on him to put a check on Fraxinetum. Obviously, Otto would
only resort to diplomacy for so long before he took action and so, Fraxinetum was now involved in
upsetting the balance of power in Western Europe. While we’re not sure if Abd al-Rahman III did
something about this, Otto began supporting local resistance against Fraxinetum. At the same,
their raids brought them face-to-face with the Hungarian Magyars who were also raiding the
same territory. From what I can tell, apparently, the survivors of that battle were subsequently
picked off and slaughtered by Conrad of Burgundy. In 972, the Muslims captured a man named Maiolus
who was crossing the Alps. He was the abbot of Cluny and he was considered a living saint
by many Christians. He was ransomed for 1000 pounds and released but his capture united the
Christians into forming something of a Crusade. The expedition was led by one Guillaume
I of Provence. During the summer of 972, they attacked the Muslims near Tourtour in
upper Provence. In the same year, they moved on the main base at Fraxinetum and captured it.
Muslim inhabitants of Provence were executed, enslaved or exiled. Although, Fraxinetum wasn’t
the only place where the Muslims were living. As mentioned before, they were present in
northern Italy as well as parts of Switzerland. The Saas Valley in eastern Switzerland
was famously under Arab occupation. Now, what exactly was the nature of Fraxinetum and
what was its place in the wider world around it? Usually, the raiders of Fraxinetum are called
“pirates” and I have done so in the past as well. Because of this term, I looked into the
wider world of the Mediterranean. It seems that there was a Viking level network of raiders and
mercenaries in the Mediterranean at the time. In fact, during the so-called Viking Age, Europe
was being ravaged by three types of raiders, the Vikings, the Magyars and the Muslims. All
of them were seen as godless barbarians by the Christians for… understandable reasons.
This is kind of a long story that I will explain further in another video but here’s what
happened. During the reign of al-Hakam, the third Emir of Cordoba, there was a rebellion in the
outskirts of Cordoba in or around 818. It was mainly composed of Muwallads, Muslims of native
Iberian descent. After al-Hakam won the rebellion, he killed the senior leaders and exiled everyone
else in the thousands. These men went to Idrisid Morocco and Abbasid Egypt. Here, they eventually
came into conflict with the locals and were driven out. They went to the island of Crete. There they
founded, what’s usually called, the Emirate of Crete. From here, they began harassing everyone.
The Aegean Sea became their base of operation. Apparently, the trade between Syria and Muslim
Spain was disrupted by them and so, Byzantine Emperor Theophilos asked Emir Abd al-Rahman II of
Cordoba to join him in attacking Crete. Although, Abd al-Rahman II refused. The Emirate of Crete
became very successful and it became a hub for exiled and out-of-work soldiers.
As with every successful enterprise, other similar bases started appearing throughout
the Mediterranean. There were various in Italy, North Africa, Iberia and as mentioned
before, Crete. During the civil wars that shook the Italian peninsula during the mid-ninth
century, various sides hired Muslim mercenaries. These mercenaries, when out of work, would then
raid the very same Italian cities including Rome which they raided thrice in the mid-ninth century.
This is exactly what led to Fraxinetum becoming a similar raiding hub for the Muslims.
Although, that’s not exactly all it was. The Muslim sources that do mention Fraxinetum,
seem to be more sympathetic to it than other similar raiding hubs. They mention it as more
than just that. They mention it as something of an agricultural and industrial region as well.
Apparently, wood was being cut and shipped by the Muslims and sent to al-Andalus. This might have
been the reason Abd al-Rahman III supported them, if he did at all. In addition to that, buckwheat
was imported and cultivated by the Muslims there as well. This is still evident by the fact that
it’s called Saracen Wheat in Provence. Also, according to some scholars, there are certain
species of goat, native to North Africa, that can still be found in Provence and also, apparently
raising of pigs is rare in some areas. These are all clear signs that Fraxinetum was more than
just a raiding hub. There is even archaeological evidence to support a mining operation in the
area. Also, the way that Muslims were living with local population in some areas is pretty
peculiar if Fraxinetum was just a raiding hub. Now, for almost 100 years, there was significant
Muslim presence in the southern France, parts of Italy and Switzerland. Obviously,
there is a lot of its legacy still around. Although, the question of how
much is difficult to answer. There are many place names that sound
like obvious deformations of Arabic words. Some traditional and local cultural things
can be interpreted as foreign as well but all of it is speculative. Nothing is concrete.
Not to mention the locals don’t really like being told they might have Arab ancestry. Perhaps
the biggest piece of Fraxinetum’s legacy are the Crusades. When Pope Urban II declared
a crusade to capture Jerusalem in 1095, the memory of those barbarian Muslim raiders was
still somewhat fresh. Muslims and other raiders have been explained by contemporaries as God’s
punishment for the sins of the Frankish empire. One can imagine that when Fraxinetum fell, it was
seen as a ray of hope of return of God’s favour. Now, you might be tempted to comment on how
this was a great victory by Christendom against the heathens and whatever and blah blah blah
but please don’t. I’ve heard it all before. This story is actually a very interesting story
because it shows how self-interests and economics are always more important than religious
values. We see a Christian King allying with Muslim raiders to protect himself against
other Christians. We see a Christian emperor calling on a Muslim ruler against Muslim raiders.
We see Christians hiring Muslim mercenaries against fellow Christians. These raiders and
mercenaries might have used the concept of holy war to justify their raids but these were
men who were just looking to made a quick buck in addition to a genuine search for a place
to live. None of this is untypical for its era. History is always more complicated than
us, the good guys versus them, the bad guys. Except in the stories involving Tamerlane, that
guy is always the worst. Vikings did largely the same thing as the Muslim raiders and they’re
idolized these days with movies and games and tv shows. Fraxinetum at least can be judged with the
same standards as the Vikings without trying to paint Islam and all Muslims as bloodthirsty.
See you next time.
