The Battle of Tourtour of 973 was a significant victory for the Christian forces of

William I of Provence William I ( 950 – after 29 August 993), called the Liberator, was Count of Provence from 968 to his abdication. In 975 or 979, he took the title of ''marchio'' or margrave. He is often considered the founder of the county of Provence. He and his ...

over the

Andalusi The Arabic '' nisbah'' (attributive title) Al-Andalusi denotes an origin from Al-Andalus. Al-Andalusi may refer to: * Abu Hayyan al-Gharnati * Ibn Hazm * Ibn Juzayy * Ibn 'Atiyya * Said Al-Andalusi Ṣāʿid al-Andalusī (); he was Abū al-Qāsi ...

settlers based at

Fraxinetum Fraxinetum or Fraxinet ( ar, فرخشنيط, translit=Farakhshanīt or , from Latin language, Latin ''fraxinus'': "fraxinus, ash tree", ''fraxinetum'': "ash forest") was the site of a Muslim fortress in Provence between about 887 and 972. It ...

Background

For several decades, the

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

s had been making inroads into

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

, building several fortresses, the greatest of which was at Fraxinetum, the castle of

La Garde-Freinet La Garde-Freinet (; Provençal: ''La Gàrdia Frainet'') is a commune in the Var department in the Côte d'Azur area in southeastern France. Location La Garde-Freinet is a medieval French mountain village, located in the Massif des Maures, 15& ...

. From these bases, they raided and pillaged, capturing goods and people to be sold in far-off Muslim ports.Bruce, Scott G. ''Cluny and the Muslims of La Garde-Freinet'', Cornell University Press, 2015, p. 10
/ref> Though they resisted strongly at first, soon the Provençals settled down to a more passive resistance.

Capture of the Abbot of Cluny

However, early in 973, the Saracens captured Maïeul,

Abbot of Cluny The Abbot of Cluny was the head of the powerful monastery of the Abbey of Cluny in medieval France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, o ...

, and demanded a ransom. Much venerated by his monks, his ransom was quickly obtained. The monks responded, however, once their abbot was released, by stirring up a fury in Provence against the Andalusian menace. The peasantry and the nobles were united in their antipathy towards the Andalusis and together implored their ruler, Count William, to act against them.

William's response

William, equally disturbed by the treatment of the abbot, raised a feudal host and took to the offensive. His army consisted not only of men from Provence, but also the lower

Dauphiné The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois. In the 12th centu ...

and

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

. William's strategy was simple: he struck at the heart of Saracen Provence with the whole of his force. This did not go unnoticed by Andalusians, who went out to meet the Provençals in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...

. They were defeated in a series of five battles at Embrun, Gap,

Riez Riez (; Provençal: ''Riés'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Geography The densely built village sits where two small rivers join—the Auvestre and the Colostre—in a glacially wid ...

Ampus Ampus (; oc, Empus) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. The hilltop village of Ampus is situated 14 km northwest of Draguignan. See also *Communes of the Var department T ...

, and Cabasse. Thoroughly beaten back, the Saracens assembled in an open plain called Tourtour not far from Fraxinetum. There, the sixth and final battle of the war was fought. William defeated the Andalusians in the field and chased them back to Fraxinetum, where they sheltered while the Provençals rested. After a brief break from campaigning, William made an assault on Fraxinetum. This attack was led by the lords of Levens, Aspremont, Gilette,

Beuil Beuil (; oc, Buelh; it, Boglio) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. Geography Beuil is a village located in the Maritime Alps, away from Nice. It is the gateway to the Mercantour National Park. A stop-of ...

, and Sospel. With La Garde-Freinet taken, the Andalusis were cut off in Fraxinetum, which was soon seized. The remainder of the Muslim army fled to a nearby forest, where they were soon overcome and entirely captured or killed.

Aftermath

La Garde-Freinet was razed to the ground. Surviving Andalusis were baptized and made to work as slaves. All remaining Muslims in Provence quickly departed by ship without waiting for any further reprisals. For this campaign and its success at expelling all the Andalusis from Provence, William was called "the Liberator" and "

Pater Patriae ''Pater Patriae'' (plural ''Patres Patriae''), also seen as ''Parens Patriae'', is a Latin honorific meaning "Father of the Country", or more literally, "Father of the Fatherland". It is also used of U.S. President George Washington, the Swed ...

References

973 Tourtour Medieval Occitania 10th century in France Tourtour {{battle-stub