Triple Assassination at Saqifah - An Islam alternate timeline
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Prelude: Pepin, Grifo and Drogo
Prelude:
Pepin, Grifo and Drogo
Pepin, Grifo and Drogo
Upon being defeated for a second time in 747, the Carolingian prince Grifo is forced to flee Pepin III alongside the few supporters he has left. He tried to go to Drogo, the mayor in Austrasia, for protection, but the latter refused to receive him as he had also revolted against Carloman, his father.
Out of options within the lands of the Frankish kingdom, Grifo only had two more options. One was to go to Italy and try to earn support from the Pope and the Roman Emperor. This seemed less viable, as the Romans were busy in one of their regular wars against the Lombards, as well as the raids by the Arabs from Sicily.
The second option was to go south, to Aquitaine, and get support from either the Baskuni (Vascon) Emir, or the Caliph through the local governor. In the end, Grifo decided to head south, specifically to Bordeaux, which was now known as Bordeu under Baskuni rule.
There, Grifo met a son of Musa III, Gharsiyah al-Baskuni. Grifo, thinking he was the Emir, asked for his support to invade the Frankish kingdoms and retake what he considered to be his throne. Gharsiyah explained that he was not the Emir, though he saw an opportunity in Grifo’s request.
Ever since the Islamic conquest of Aquitaine, the Baskuni, and Berbers and Arabs of the Kharijite Caliphate had been fighting off skirmishes and raids in the border. Constantly disputing territories and losing and retaking cities. However, first the Fitna and then the need to stabilize the Caliphate internally kept them from a full invasion of Al-Faranj. Now, the Fitna had passed and Khalid ibn Hamid, the third Kharijite Caliph, had managed to consolidate his power after crushing more rebellions in the north of Al-Andalus and other regions.
The son of the Emir took Grifo and his supporters to Iruña (Pamplona), the capital of the Emirate, to meet the now elderly Musa III in person. Once there, he presented his request to the Emir, who then in turn sent a message to Algeciras to inform the Caliph. From Algeciras it moved to Tangier, where Khalid resided at the time.
Al-Zanati immediately sent a positive reply back to Iruña and gathered his men to march north. He took fourty thousand men (mostly Berbers, but also Hispano-Romans and a few Arabs, mostly commanders), as well as his trusted general and Fitna veteran Ukkasha ibn Ayyub. Once at the Baskuni capital, he met with Musa IV, eldest son of Musa III, and Gharsiyah, who would lead the army of ten thousand Vascones. After all, their father was now too old to command armies. They were also joined by Mothmin al-Akra and his son, also named Gharsiya (García Ximénez); powerful nobles who had converted to Islam and recognized the Musas as their Emirs.
Grifo met with the Caliph and requested his blessing in his restoration to the throne. Khalid was not very keen on the idea, and instead insisted on him converting to Islam, so he could be named Emir. In the end, Grifo had to convert and recognize the Caliph as his suzerain, threatened by the Caliph’s army, before the campaign could be formally launched.
The Carolingian prince had taken with him a little under a thousand men, while the total Islamic armies consisted of fifty thousand.
The armies marched north, and first captured the city of Lyon, kickstarting the second invasion of Al-Faranj.
Out of options within the lands of the Frankish kingdom, Grifo only had two more options. One was to go to Italy and try to earn support from the Pope and the Roman Emperor. This seemed less viable, as the Romans were busy in one of their regular wars against the Lombards, as well as the raids by the Arabs from Sicily.
The second option was to go south, to Aquitaine, and get support from either the Baskuni (Vascon) Emir, or the Caliph through the local governor. In the end, Grifo decided to head south, specifically to Bordeaux, which was now known as Bordeu under Baskuni rule.
There, Grifo met a son of Musa III, Gharsiyah al-Baskuni. Grifo, thinking he was the Emir, asked for his support to invade the Frankish kingdoms and retake what he considered to be his throne. Gharsiyah explained that he was not the Emir, though he saw an opportunity in Grifo’s request.
Ever since the Islamic conquest of Aquitaine, the Baskuni, and Berbers and Arabs of the Kharijite Caliphate had been fighting off skirmishes and raids in the border. Constantly disputing territories and losing and retaking cities. However, first the Fitna and then the need to stabilize the Caliphate internally kept them from a full invasion of Al-Faranj. Now, the Fitna had passed and Khalid ibn Hamid, the third Kharijite Caliph, had managed to consolidate his power after crushing more rebellions in the north of Al-Andalus and other regions.
The son of the Emir took Grifo and his supporters to Iruña (Pamplona), the capital of the Emirate, to meet the now elderly Musa III in person. Once there, he presented his request to the Emir, who then in turn sent a message to Algeciras to inform the Caliph. From Algeciras it moved to Tangier, where Khalid resided at the time.
Al-Zanati immediately sent a positive reply back to Iruña and gathered his men to march north. He took fourty thousand men (mostly Berbers, but also Hispano-Romans and a few Arabs, mostly commanders), as well as his trusted general and Fitna veteran Ukkasha ibn Ayyub. Once at the Baskuni capital, he met with Musa IV, eldest son of Musa III, and Gharsiyah, who would lead the army of ten thousand Vascones. After all, their father was now too old to command armies. They were also joined by Mothmin al-Akra and his son, also named Gharsiya (García Ximénez); powerful nobles who had converted to Islam and recognized the Musas as their Emirs.
Grifo met with the Caliph and requested his blessing in his restoration to the throne. Khalid was not very keen on the idea, and instead insisted on him converting to Islam, so he could be named Emir. In the end, Grifo had to convert and recognize the Caliph as his suzerain, threatened by the Caliph’s army, before the campaign could be formally launched.
The Carolingian prince had taken with him a little under a thousand men, while the total Islamic armies consisted of fifty thousand.
The armies marched north, and first captured the city of Lyon, kickstarting the second invasion of Al-Faranj.
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Conquest of northern Al-Faranj
Second Invasion of Al-Faranj
The first Islamic incursions began between late 747 and early 748. They were direct attacks against the territories ruled over by Pepin in Burgundy and Neustria. However, communications were less efficient, and with Pepin’s focus being on taking down Drogo, the Mayor of Austrasia, he decided to dismiss the Islamic attacks, believing they were just the usual raids.
The little resistance surprised Khalid, but Ukkasha pushed to take full advantage of it. After a quick capture of Orleans and Angers, as well as Autun and Besançon in Burgundy, Ukkasha decided to head straight into Paris, Pepin’s capital. The total caliphal army had been previously split. Most of the Baskunisi force had been sent to Burgundy under the leadership of the Baskuni commanders. That way, the weaker Frankish lands in Burgundy could be taken while the more experienced Berber core of military force focused on the core territories at Neustria.
Khalid debated this idea with his general, but in the end admitted that the chance could not be missed. The decision was taken, and Ukkasha took thirty thousand men with him, while Khalid stayed behind at Orleans. Grifo and his small personal forces accompanied Ukkasha, though without any certainty of whether his objectives would be achieved.
Ukkasha met a small Frankish force at Chartres on his way to Paris, which he easily crushed. Most of the surviving men were captured, but some disappeared. Fearing they fled to tell Pepin about the impending invasion, Ukkasha did not bother occupying Chartres and hurried for Paris.
The missing men had indeed fled to Paris and quickly met with the king. Almost immediately after learning of what was happening, Pepin recalled all of his armies and sent a letter to Austrasia, begging Drogo for support. When this letter arrived, Paris was already being besieged, but Drogo did not move a single finger to save Pepin.
While the siege was brutal and long, the city was forced to surrender after almost a year due to starvation and widespread illness. Upon entering the city, the Kharijites immediately began to search for the nobles and purged them all. This came at the request of Grifo, who wanted to be crowned safely.
Pepin was found as he was trying to escape disguised as a commoner. He was detained, made prisoner and later executed two weeks after the city fell. His entire family, including his children, were all massacred as well.x
Once the nobles were gone and Ukkasha held firm control over the city, he proclaimed Grifo the Emir. The Frank then informed the Berber general that Pepin was not the king of the Franks, and that yet another pretender was still ruling on Austrasia.
Ukkasha didn’t stay in Paris for much longer, and set out to finish the conquest by looking for the real king and the so-called pretender. Grifo was technically not lying, as Childeric III, technically still the nominal king of the Franks, was not in Paris; while Drogo, mayor of Austrasia, was still ruling from Reims.
Having taken with him some of Grifo’s men, he was guided to where the Merovingian king was said to be hiding. He had been staying at Chateau-Thierry, where his predecessor, Theuderic IV, spent most of his short life. Finding a young man with long hair, devoid of any real power, Ukkasha spent a couple of days at the place. Childeric was deposed, but he agreed to convert to Islam, and was allowed to live there for the remainder of his life. A small troop of less than a hundred Berbers was left behind to make sure Childeric did not try anything, and they guarded him for years to come.
The little resistance surprised Khalid, but Ukkasha pushed to take full advantage of it. After a quick capture of Orleans and Angers, as well as Autun and Besançon in Burgundy, Ukkasha decided to head straight into Paris, Pepin’s capital. The total caliphal army had been previously split. Most of the Baskunisi force had been sent to Burgundy under the leadership of the Baskuni commanders. That way, the weaker Frankish lands in Burgundy could be taken while the more experienced Berber core of military force focused on the core territories at Neustria.
Khalid debated this idea with his general, but in the end admitted that the chance could not be missed. The decision was taken, and Ukkasha took thirty thousand men with him, while Khalid stayed behind at Orleans. Grifo and his small personal forces accompanied Ukkasha, though without any certainty of whether his objectives would be achieved.
Ukkasha met a small Frankish force at Chartres on his way to Paris, which he easily crushed. Most of the surviving men were captured, but some disappeared. Fearing they fled to tell Pepin about the impending invasion, Ukkasha did not bother occupying Chartres and hurried for Paris.
The missing men had indeed fled to Paris and quickly met with the king. Almost immediately after learning of what was happening, Pepin recalled all of his armies and sent a letter to Austrasia, begging Drogo for support. When this letter arrived, Paris was already being besieged, but Drogo did not move a single finger to save Pepin.
While the siege was brutal and long, the city was forced to surrender after almost a year due to starvation and widespread illness. Upon entering the city, the Kharijites immediately began to search for the nobles and purged them all. This came at the request of Grifo, who wanted to be crowned safely.
Pepin was found as he was trying to escape disguised as a commoner. He was detained, made prisoner and later executed two weeks after the city fell. His entire family, including his children, were all massacred as well.x
Once the nobles were gone and Ukkasha held firm control over the city, he proclaimed Grifo the Emir. The Frank then informed the Berber general that Pepin was not the king of the Franks, and that yet another pretender was still ruling on Austrasia.
Ukkasha didn’t stay in Paris for much longer, and set out to finish the conquest by looking for the real king and the so-called pretender. Grifo was technically not lying, as Childeric III, technically still the nominal king of the Franks, was not in Paris; while Drogo, mayor of Austrasia, was still ruling from Reims.
Having taken with him some of Grifo’s men, he was guided to where the Merovingian king was said to be hiding. He had been staying at Chateau-Thierry, where his predecessor, Theuderic IV, spent most of his short life. Finding a young man with long hair, devoid of any real power, Ukkasha spent a couple of days at the place. Childeric was deposed, but he agreed to convert to Islam, and was allowed to live there for the remainder of his life. A small troop of less than a hundred Berbers was left behind to make sure Childeric did not try anything, and they guarded him for years to come.
Ukkasha razed and pillaged as he moved closer and closer to Reims. Drogo had already found out about Pepin and the fall of Paris. It had all happened in a matter of months, and painted a somber image. However, he had enough time to gather an army of fifteen thousand.
He personally led the army, and met the thirty thousand of Ukkasha outside his capital. There would be no siege, there would only be a battle.
Drogo valiantly fought against the Muslims. He fought for the possibility of coming out of the battle victorious, to then march to Paris and declare himself king. However, that would not happen. There would be no brave Frankish king who halted the meteoric and unstoppable expansion of Islam. Not in this timeline.
The mayor of Austrasia was killed by a Baskuni soldier, and soon the Frankish army collapsed into chaos. What followed was a brutal massacre that left ponds of blood on the ground.
Seeing this, the people of Reims surrendered unconditionally, and Ukkasha took the city without further violence. Many proclaimed him Ukkasha al-Rashid, while some others went as far as to proclaim him the Caliph. What was undeniable was that his victory over the franks had been fast and crushing. The Frankish armies had no chance against a general of his caliber.
After less than a week of occupation, however, unpleasant news would come from Paris. Upon reading the letter, Ukkasha immediately ordered the indiscriminate purge of all Frankish nobility, and he returned to Paris with most of his men.
Grifo had declared himself King of the Franks while Ukkasha defeated Drogo. He renounced the title of Emir and recognised Christianity as his faith, against what was agreed with Khalid. He had also purged all Islamic officials that had stayed behind to make sure he was solidly established as the new Emir of the lands. And that was the final straw.
If Ukkasha’s pillaging was brutal on his way to Reims, then what he did on his way to Paris is impossible to describe with mere words. Hundreds were killed, and upon arriving at the Frankish capital, the inhabitants of the city greatly feared the Berber general. Even Grifo and his military officials.
There was no chance for negotiations and the city was besieged. The gates were opened in mysterious circumstances only after a couple of months of siege in 750. The caliphal armies led by Ukkasha stormed into the city and completely destroyed it. Everything was raided and burnt to the ground, while the entire Frankish nobility that remained at the city was massacred as well as most of its regular inhabitants. Grifo had nowhere to go, so he had a last stand against the Muslims with his own men. They were overrun, and the last king of the Franks, Grifo, was slaughtered in battle.
Contrary to what would be expected for such a historical figure, his corpse ended alongside the many dead bodies of the commoners of the city, with no distinction or honors.
Paris was left severely depopulated and destroyed by Ukkasha and his men. So much so, that as soon as the news began to spread across the former Frankish lands, massive migrations began to occur out of fear of suffering the same fate.
He personally led the army, and met the thirty thousand of Ukkasha outside his capital. There would be no siege, there would only be a battle.
Drogo valiantly fought against the Muslims. He fought for the possibility of coming out of the battle victorious, to then march to Paris and declare himself king. However, that would not happen. There would be no brave Frankish king who halted the meteoric and unstoppable expansion of Islam. Not in this timeline.
The mayor of Austrasia was killed by a Baskuni soldier, and soon the Frankish army collapsed into chaos. What followed was a brutal massacre that left ponds of blood on the ground.
Seeing this, the people of Reims surrendered unconditionally, and Ukkasha took the city without further violence. Many proclaimed him Ukkasha al-Rashid, while some others went as far as to proclaim him the Caliph. What was undeniable was that his victory over the franks had been fast and crushing. The Frankish armies had no chance against a general of his caliber.
After less than a week of occupation, however, unpleasant news would come from Paris. Upon reading the letter, Ukkasha immediately ordered the indiscriminate purge of all Frankish nobility, and he returned to Paris with most of his men.
Grifo had declared himself King of the Franks while Ukkasha defeated Drogo. He renounced the title of Emir and recognised Christianity as his faith, against what was agreed with Khalid. He had also purged all Islamic officials that had stayed behind to make sure he was solidly established as the new Emir of the lands. And that was the final straw.
If Ukkasha’s pillaging was brutal on his way to Reims, then what he did on his way to Paris is impossible to describe with mere words. Hundreds were killed, and upon arriving at the Frankish capital, the inhabitants of the city greatly feared the Berber general. Even Grifo and his military officials.
There was no chance for negotiations and the city was besieged. The gates were opened in mysterious circumstances only after a couple of months of siege in 750. The caliphal armies led by Ukkasha stormed into the city and completely destroyed it. Everything was raided and burnt to the ground, while the entire Frankish nobility that remained at the city was massacred as well as most of its regular inhabitants. Grifo had nowhere to go, so he had a last stand against the Muslims with his own men. They were overrun, and the last king of the Franks, Grifo, was slaughtered in battle.
Contrary to what would be expected for such a historical figure, his corpse ended alongside the many dead bodies of the commoners of the city, with no distinction or honors.
Paris was left severely depopulated and destroyed by Ukkasha and his men. So much so, that as soon as the news began to spread across the former Frankish lands, massive migrations began to occur out of fear of suffering the same fate.
Frankish nobles that survived began to flee towards Britain and Brittany, while Gallo Romans and lower Franks fled mostly into Germania. There, however, they would be met by the migrating hordes of Alemanni and Saxons, fleeing from the Slav migrants that continued pushing, taking advantage of the power vacuum left by the franks.
The kingdom of Kent welcomed most of the Frankish nobles, and important marriages ensued between them.
As for Khalid and Ukkasha, they met once again at Chartres, as Paris had been devastated. There, Khalid granted his general the governorship of Al-Faranj, which would have its capital at Orleans. This was also a measure to keep Ukkasha away from the core cities and capitals of the Caliphate, as Ibn Hamid feared he could be deposed.
Ukkasha would continue fighting small rebellions and resistance groups to consolidate Kharijite authority over the lands. However, northern Neustria and most of Austrasia would remain out of the real authority of the Caliphate, as depopulation, a power vacuum and migrations ensured that those territories would be taken over by chaos.
It did not take long for the Slavs to begin pushing westwards after Frankish authority collapsed. At the same time as Alemannia collapsed into anarchy following the escape of the few Frankish nobles that ruled over them after the massacre of the native nobility. The Saxons were displaced from a lot of their lands as well, and some were forced to incursion into former Frankish lands. As for the Alemanni, they almost completely migrated into former Burgundy and Austrasia. This shook Caliphal control, and made it almost impossible for Ukkasha to exert proper control over the lands of Austrasia.
The kingdom of Kent welcomed most of the Frankish nobles, and important marriages ensued between them.
As for Khalid and Ukkasha, they met once again at Chartres, as Paris had been devastated. There, Khalid granted his general the governorship of Al-Faranj, which would have its capital at Orleans. This was also a measure to keep Ukkasha away from the core cities and capitals of the Caliphate, as Ibn Hamid feared he could be deposed.
Ukkasha would continue fighting small rebellions and resistance groups to consolidate Kharijite authority over the lands. However, northern Neustria and most of Austrasia would remain out of the real authority of the Caliphate, as depopulation, a power vacuum and migrations ensured that those territories would be taken over by chaos.
It did not take long for the Slavs to begin pushing westwards after Frankish authority collapsed. At the same time as Alemannia collapsed into anarchy following the escape of the few Frankish nobles that ruled over them after the massacre of the native nobility. The Saxons were displaced from a lot of their lands as well, and some were forced to incursion into former Frankish lands. As for the Alemanni, they almost completely migrated into former Burgundy and Austrasia. This shook Caliphal control, and made it almost impossible for Ukkasha to exert proper control over the lands of Austrasia.
Extensive implications with the now open free for all the western central region of the Rhine.
That's why never even dare to double cross a Muslim
It'll be taken over by Slavs since they're the ones who displaced the Alemanni in the first place. They're left in total chaos after the few surviving Frankish nobles flee, since Pepin massacred all Alemanni nobles in the Blood Court of Cannstatt in 746.
Next update will explain the aftermath a little better I believe.
Consequences of Frankish Collapse
New
Consequences of Frankish collapse.
The Kharijite Caliphate reached its territorial peak under the rule of Khalid ibn Hamid. They consolidated their control over the lands stretching from the Maghreb to the core territories of the former kingdom of Neustria. Through this conquest, Islam would begin to spread quite intensively into western and central Europe, while Italy would remain a last bastion of sorts for Christian powers, at least for a few more decades.
However, this naturally had more effects outside of merely those directly concerning the Caliphate.
Immediately after the deaths of Pepin, Drogo and Grifo; and the subsequent massacre of most of Frankish nobility, while the survivors fled to Kent and other places; Aistulf, the Lombard king, seized an obvious chance to finally defeat the Roman armies of central Italy, which for a few years now had received Frankish aid. He led a powerful army consisting of Lombards, Romans and Greeks into Rome and deposed the last Phocid emperor, Constantine VI, in 751. He then forced the Pope to declare him the new Roman Emperor. He ruled for slightly over a year, before he was assassinated by a series of conspirators led by Constantine VII Sarantapechos.
He had been a powerful general from the Sarantapechos family, which was one of the powerful Greek clans that fled Greece before the Arabs and Bulgars conquered it completely. He rose through the ranks due to his great performance defending the imperial territories from the constant Lombard raids and invasions. He would not rest from these even as the emperor, as Aistulf’s short reign would leave a precedent for other Lombard lords. Among them, the ambitious dux of Tuscia, Desiderius.
Germania was one of the most affected regions in its own right. After all, the power vacuum left behind by the Franks upon their collapse had devastating effects for the Germanic groups that inhabited the region. In the past couple of centuries, Europe had experienced important migrations by Slavic groups, some of which had penetrated into the eastern regions of Germania. However, the Franks halted their advance for a time.
Once the Franks were gone, the western Slavs continued their push and displaced the Alemanni and Saxons from their lands. Displaced, the Germanic peoples were forced to migrate into Gaul. They met and mixed with the fleeing Gallo-Romans and Franks, but redirected them back into Gaul, where they began to raid and invade the lands. This caused important clashes against Kharijite authority.
At the same time. the Bretons, who had recruited thousands of fleeing Gallo-Romans, and who took advantage of the power vacuum, began to also invade most of northern Neustria.
Back on the Slavic side of things, the continued migration into central and western Germania meant that the general wave and trajectory of the general Slavs continued, pushing the Slavs further west and leaving their easternmost lands empty and depopulated.
The Kharijite Caliphate reached its territorial peak under the rule of Khalid ibn Hamid. They consolidated their control over the lands stretching from the Maghreb to the core territories of the former kingdom of Neustria. Through this conquest, Islam would begin to spread quite intensively into western and central Europe, while Italy would remain a last bastion of sorts for Christian powers, at least for a few more decades.
However, this naturally had more effects outside of merely those directly concerning the Caliphate.
Immediately after the deaths of Pepin, Drogo and Grifo; and the subsequent massacre of most of Frankish nobility, while the survivors fled to Kent and other places; Aistulf, the Lombard king, seized an obvious chance to finally defeat the Roman armies of central Italy, which for a few years now had received Frankish aid. He led a powerful army consisting of Lombards, Romans and Greeks into Rome and deposed the last Phocid emperor, Constantine VI, in 751. He then forced the Pope to declare him the new Roman Emperor. He ruled for slightly over a year, before he was assassinated by a series of conspirators led by Constantine VII Sarantapechos.
He had been a powerful general from the Sarantapechos family, which was one of the powerful Greek clans that fled Greece before the Arabs and Bulgars conquered it completely. He rose through the ranks due to his great performance defending the imperial territories from the constant Lombard raids and invasions. He would not rest from these even as the emperor, as Aistulf’s short reign would leave a precedent for other Lombard lords. Among them, the ambitious dux of Tuscia, Desiderius.
Germania was one of the most affected regions in its own right. After all, the power vacuum left behind by the Franks upon their collapse had devastating effects for the Germanic groups that inhabited the region. In the past couple of centuries, Europe had experienced important migrations by Slavic groups, some of which had penetrated into the eastern regions of Germania. However, the Franks halted their advance for a time.
Once the Franks were gone, the western Slavs continued their push and displaced the Alemanni and Saxons from their lands. Displaced, the Germanic peoples were forced to migrate into Gaul. They met and mixed with the fleeing Gallo-Romans and Franks, but redirected them back into Gaul, where they began to raid and invade the lands. This caused important clashes against Kharijite authority.
At the same time. the Bretons, who had recruited thousands of fleeing Gallo-Romans, and who took advantage of the power vacuum, began to also invade most of northern Neustria.
Back on the Slavic side of things, the continued migration into central and western Germania meant that the general wave and trajectory of the general Slavs continued, pushing the Slavs further west and leaving their easternmost lands empty and depopulated.
Do the empty eastern Slavic lands include what is now Poland, or will that be part of Slavic central Europe ITTL? And that would leave Ukraine and Russia to be populated by... steppe nomads? Finno-Ugric peoples? Balts? Norse? There would be potential for any of those to become Islamized (or even for the Slavs to be - this is about when they were becoming Christianized IOTL).
What's left depopulated is mostly the eastern half of what went on to become the Kievan Rus and such.
So a stronger Britania, and besides italy, muslim control most of the Mediterranean now..that's a massive butterfly