Have a Islamic Caliphate (Umayyad probably most likely) conquered all of modern day France.
Note that the Caliphate of Corduba was already in Western EuropeI am thinking of what the other countries in Europe would do, a Caliphate in Western Europe is unbearable! Those Heathens must be shown the Sword of Christ!
I have my doubts. Tours/Poitiers was a big raid at the largest, and every source I've read on the subject of al-Andalus seems to agree that their expansive potential past the Pyrenees was not great.
Note that the Caliphate of Corduba was already in Western Europe
But i wonder about the capability of reaction of the christian kingdoms in Europe. The biggest bulwark against the Caliphate of Corduba was the Frankish Kingdom itself. Should it fall, or get defeated so thoroughly that it had to accept a permanent muslim presence north of the Pyrinees...
Good news for the Occitan language and literature, though, if it can establish itself as an independent polity!
Oh wait, you said all of modern France.
Impossible, safe catastrophic collapse of Francia politic entities.Have a Islamic Caliphate (Umayyad probably most likely) conquered all of modern day France.
Not really : Tours, as Huehuecoyotl said, was "only" a big raid. You had Arabo-Berber victories in 725-726 raids, along the Rhone river, without it becoming an Umayyad province (as far as I know). (neither the Umayyad victories in Aquitaine in 730's making it so)A decisive Muslim victory at Tours could be a good start.
Occitan language didn't appeared, or more exactly differencied itself from Gallo-Romance continuum before the Xth century. Any conquest, be it implausible, would have consequance on linguistical development.Good news for the Occitan language and literature, though, if it can establish itself as an independent polity!.
Yes, the Provençal lyric was the soul and origin of most of the poetry and literature in western Europe for a few centuries... but the language had bad luck politically speaking.Actually, for much of the Medieval period in OTL Occitan was more prestigious throughout Western Europe than the langues d'Oïl in northern France that form the basis of modern standard French. And in TTL any Muslim polity would likely be based out of the south, so... Occitan may still have a pretty bright future if the area isn't Arabized or Berberized...
The Occitanian nobility might see the attractive of the idea of being supported by a powerful Caliphate in the south: the Caliphate would be too far away to meddle in the politics of the area as long as they remained loyal (and faithful), but the threat of their military power might be enough to keep the much closer Franks at bay.
I am thinking of what the other countries in Europe would do, a Caliphate in Western Europe is unbearable! Those Heathens must be shown the Sword of Christ!
I have my doubts. Tours/Poitiers was a big raid at the largest, and every source I've read on the subject of al-Andalus seems to agree that their expansive potential past the Pyrenees was not great.
I've heard these arguments before, but I don't know if I completely buy them. We're talking about a people who, in a span of 100 years, emerged from the Arabian Peninsula to conquer the entire Middle East (save Anatolia), all of North Africa, Persia and Spain. At many points during that century (632-732), one could have argued that they'd reached their expansive limit, but they kept pressing further. Many of their invasions (notably their invasion of Spain) did not involve huge numbers of troops. The invasion of 711 seems more like a raid (fewer than 2,000 initial troops, apparently) than the invasion of 732 (which had anywhere from 20,000 to 80,000 troops). If the Umayyads had won at Poitiers, I'm not sure they'd be content to just raid a few towns and then go back to Septimania. Contemporary sources suggest that they were surprised to meet an army of equal size; that sounds to me like they expected a conquest.
According arabic sources, more like 10 000, reinforced in 712 when Musa and Abd al Aziz arrive.The invasion of 711 seems more like a raid (fewer than 2,000 initial troops, apparently)
Only in hugely inflated sources of Mozarabic Chronicle and later French ones (more the ennemies, bigger the prestige)than the invasion of 732 (which had anywhere from 20,000 to 80,000 troops).
And that's where critical analysis of sources is useful.Contemporary sources suggest that they were surprised to meet an army of equal size; that sounds to me like they expected a conquest.
Is there any chance of some claimant to power, with no other hope, asking for Muslim backing? If he had a few landholders with him, there might be a mixed regime for a while, at least.
Giving the really few occupation, demographically speaking, of northern Spain and Gothia, I doubt you would have a real assimilation, except in major towns. Probably something as Asturias and Galicia, or Pyrenean holdings (As in politically dependent, without real acculturation).I really question whether the Arab (or more honesty, Berber) cultural assimilationist efforts could work in an area with a climate like Northwest Europe.
I don't know about use of camels in battle. (Admittedly, you had a know use of camels in Merovingian Gaul, but for trade). As far as I know, horses were used would it be because it's what they found more easily in Europe.The use of camels in battle is a good example of this. The superiority of Frankish infantry at Tours made this very apparent.
It did worked in Medieval Spain, with a really limited number of Arabo-Berbers (that were as well more present in some precise regions). You can consider the population being arabized (and not assimilated : you had to wait the early X to have truly assimilated muladi, and after a series of revolt) as for the half of IXth century.The population of Frankia is also going to be highly resistant to Islam for social factors such as already having positive political experiences with a different form of monotheism and the completely foreign Islamic views on polygamy, inheritance of land, and the social supremacy of Arabs
If muslims are succesful in Sicily, taking Provence from the sea becomes easier, no?