What If…
With a Muslim success at Tours, the culture, religion and power of the Arab world could reach deeper into Europe than ever before
Having established a strong Islamic foothold in the Iberian Peninsula, aspirations of territory and power north of the Pyrenees was perhaps a logical step to take. But the region between Poitiers and Tours was not just a step, it was a giant leap, and a huge gamble. Standing in the way of the Muslim forces, Charles Martel has historically been depicted as the embodiment of staunch Christian fortitude, faith, and resilience to repel the invader and destroy his ambitions. Victory would preserve both his religion and his people. Failure would unlock the gates of France to dominance by the Arab world and change the face of Europe forever.
What next steps would the Umayyad Caliphate need to take to consolidate a victory at Tours?
Marching an army as far north from Arab-controlled Spain as Tours was a bit of a wild move. The Arab governor, ‘Abd al-Rahman, was trying to take advantage of conflict between Charles Martel and the Duke of Aquitaine at a time when the King of the Franks in Paris had little authority. Bold moves had worked before in the Arab conquests of the Levant and North Africa. Consolidation there always involved targeting administrative centres and working with local populations to keep administration functioning. In the Frankish Kingdom, that would have meant targeting Paris next and hoping that alliances could be forged quickly with nobles who were feeling mercenary or who were tired of the weaknesses of the Merovingian Frankish kings – a dynasty that hadn’t produced a dynamic figurehead in decades. The Arabs had presented themselves as a positive change to nobles in Visigothic Spain when they conquered the region in 711 and that had made for a relatively bloodless process.
The safer alternative for ‘Abd al-Rahman would have been to focus on commanding the southern cities of Toulouse and Narbonne. These had once formed the core of the Visigothic Kingdom of Aquitaine, crushed by the Franks in 507. Even 200 years later, people in Narbonne still resisted rule by northerners like Charles Martel. Indeed, after the Battle of Tours, Charles had to fight a major campaign in 737 because people in Provence allied with more Arabs against him. If ‘Abd al-Rahman had tried a more patient approach, he could have found people in the south willing to support him against perceived northern oppression.
What would be the potential social and cultural impacts for the region following a Muslim victory?
Culturally, one of the
