Battle of Tourtour
The Battle of Tourtour in 973 brought the decisive victory of Count Wilhelm I of Provence over the Saracens . The Saracens were finally driven out of southern France by their defeat , and William I earned the surname of the Liberator and the title of Pater patriae through his victory .
prehistory
For several decades, the Saracens held several fortresses in Provence , including Fraxinetum , the castle above today's La Garde-Freinet . They used these fortresses as a base for their regular raids across the country, during which they also kidnapped people to sell them into slavery. After initial resistance, the Provencal lords soon became more passive about what was happening.
In early 973, however, the Saracens made a mistake. They kidnapped Maiolus , the abbot of Cluny , who was born in Valensole , in the hope that the Provençals would pay a large ransom for his release, and took him to a safe place. The monks of Provence raised the required amount and Maiolus was released.
After the release, however, the monks incited the population against the Saracens, who in turn turned to Count Wilhelm and asked him to ensure that the Saracens were finally expelled from Provence. Wilhelm raised an army that not only consisted of Provençals, but also included fighters from Nice and the Bas- Dauphiné .
The decision
Knowing that Fraxinetum was the central base of the Saracens, Wilhelm directed his offensive against this place with the simple strategy of developing all his strength where the enemy was strongest, in order to completely break the resistance of the Muslims if successful.
These in turn left their fortress to face the enemy in the open, without leaving their castle without safe protection. Five smaller battles took place in the Provencal Alps, at Embrun , Gap , Riez , Ampus and Cabasse , all of which the Saracens lost. They gathered their strength on Tourtour , where they were beaten again by Wilhelm in a sixth meeting. The Muslims then withdrew to Fraxinetum.
After Wilhelm had given his soldiers a little rest, he had Fraxinetum attacked. The armed forces of the Lords of Levens , Aspremont , Gilette and Beuil as well as the city of Sospel , all from what is now the Alpes-Maritimes department , were sent into battle. They reached the height of Garde-Freinet, isolating and cutting off the Saracens, and attacked the entrenchment of Fraxinetum. They drove out the Saracens and were then able to seize the entire fortress. The Saracens fled to a neighboring forest, where they were tracked down, killed or taken prisoner by the Provençals pursuing them. The fortress was razed, the surviving Muslims baptized and enslaved.
literature
- Louis Dussieux: Les grands faits de l'histoire de France racontés par les contemporains, 8 volumes, 1879, here: Volume 1: Les origines et le moyen-age jusqu'à la Guerre de Cent Ans
Coordinates: 43 ° 35 ′ 23.9 " N , 6 ° 18 ′ 5.6" E