Book Review: Poitiers AD 732, Charles Martel turns the Islamic tide. David Nicolle.

Nicolle is one of the premier historians of the Crusades and the early Middle Ages.  Some of his other books can be reviewed here.  Even though this book is beautifully rendered, illustrated, and compact yet detailed, it is a huge disappointment.  There are so many errors and post-modern shibboleths that I almost gave up reading it 10 pages in.  Nicolle gives the political, economic, theological [bare as he makes it out to be]; and imperial impetuses behind the Moslem advance into France and the defeat of what Nicolle wrongly calls 'a large raiding party' near Poitiers in the Rhone valley.  Apparently for Nicolle and post-moderns this 'raid' was of little importance in the history of Western Civilisation.

For Nicolle and post-modern historians Islam has nothing whatsoever to do with the Islamic empire, the spread of the cult of Muhammad from the poor wastelands of Arabia to cover vast swathes of the Near East and Mediterranean basin; nor does the theology of Islam which exalts violence and slavery have much to do with Moslem ferocity:

“In many respects Arab-Islamic expansion was just another movement of Semitic peoples from the Arabian peninsula into neighbouring territories....There had been no attack upon Christianity...”

Christian civilization was extinguished from northern Arabia, to the Bosporus and central Europe, and over to Spain.  Yet Nicolle maintains that the supermacist Moslem creed which denotes Christians as evil, linked with Satan, stupid, greedy, and criminal; and which clearly marks out Christians as the slaves of Moslems, was 'not attacked'.  Thousands of churches, monasteries and holy places were destroyed or replaced by mosques; and yet Christianity was spared ?  Some 10 million Christian whites were butchered or sold into slavery over 1000 years, yet there was no attack on Christendom?  It was all simply a matter of a group of Semitics looking for a new home.....

The battle of Poitiers, which was the 3^rd critical rejection by the Christians of Moslem fascist dominance [Toulouse in 721 AD, and Covadonga in 722 AD]; was not by itself such a big deal.

“In reality, the wave of Arab-Islamic expansion that began in the mid-7^th century AD was already drawing to a halt not only in Europe but also in the Caucasus, Central Asia, India and Africa.”

In fact Nicolle declares that the battle at Poitiers had nothing to do with Islam and Christianity, it was a 'civil war' between different power centers of Europe:

“What is clear is that the confrontation between Franks and Ummayads was not simply a clash between Christianity and Islam but resulted from political rivalry and was in many ways a clash between Germanic northern and Mediterranean southern Europe.”

Nicolle portrays the battle as merely a repulse of a raid by some 15.000 Moslems.  Other historians put the force at over 40.000 which seems more likely, especially given the fact that the Moslems brought along their families.  Why would you bring your wife on a 'raid' ?  You will only tote junior along if you were in the process of settling the conquered territory, after the requisite Moslem rape, slaughter and plunder of Infidels and their assets.  The Moslems were intent on plundering the rich monastery at Tours and then repopulating the decimated territory along the Rhone valley.  This was not just a 'raid'. 

For Nicolle, the lightly armed Moslems were the superior army.  The heavy horses, and bigger boned and better fed men of Charles Martel's force, were 'simple soldiers' and had nothing to teach the mighty Moslems.  Spear tossing Moslems were the better fighters:

“Arab cavalry were still armed with spears and swords....The Berbers and Germanic Visigoths of the west had virtually nothing to teach them.”

This is why the Moslems were defeated decisively in 721, 722, 732, 736 and 737.  The northern 'barbarians' had nothing to offer in military technology, weaponry, tactics or leadership.  In actual fact the 'West' was far ahead in 732 AD in military applications and technology.  A fact Nicolle ignores. 

Nicolle also makes many annoying comments about the 'simplicity', 'barbarism', and uncivilized lives of the 'northern Europeans', juxtaposed against his 'civilized' Moslems, who raided, plundered, murdered and enslaved hundreds of thousands of Hispano-Gallo-Romans during the 8^th century.  He never mentions the slaughter of the Christians and Goth-Romano populations; nor of the massive enslavement and forced conversions.  These facts are shelved.  For Nicolle Islam, which views the Infidel as a Moslem slave, had nothing to do with the evisceration of Christians and Christian culture.  It was all just a misunderstanding related to political rivalries both within Christendom, and between northern and southern Europe.

Truly a disappointing book.  It is not recommended for anyone interested in reality and truth.