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| Europe |
| Why Islam didn't conquer the world |
| 2005-11-01 |
| Probably, Mr. Reader, you did not yesterday wash five times, face Mecca, sink to your knees, and pray to Allah. Most likely, Ms. Reader, you did not cover yourself with a burka before venturing out to shop. Probably neither of you is giving up all food between sunup and sundown during the ongoing monthlong Ramadan. For freedom from all of these obligations, you might spare a minute sometime today, and every October, to say a silent "thank you" to a gang of half-savage Germans and especially to their leader, Charles "The Hammer" Martel. Nice backgrounder on the Battle of Tours, and questions about what might have been... |
| Posted by:growler |
| #17 Rememeber, guys, the Franks capital was Aachen, not Aux La Chappelle. French ideed! (Spit) |
| Posted by: ArmChair in Sin 2005-11-01 19:16 |
| #16 OK, let's Google Lepanto France and see what we get. Oct. 7, 1571, two great armadas, one Christian and one Moslem, met at the mouth of the Gulf of Patras, off Lepanto, Greece. The battle is significant for several reasons: It was the last naval battle in history in which both navies used galleys propelled by slaves chained to oars, it marked the end of Turkish ascendancy in the Mediterranean and opened the door to Christian dominance of that sea But, what was the cause of this battle and, of greater interest to us, what was the crypto-Jewish connection? The war, like all wars, had many causes, but one of the more significant ones was the fact that France owed 150,000 ducats to the Duke of Naxos. Turkish Sultan Salim II had conquered the Island of Naxos and appointed his close friend, Joseph Nasi, as Duke. Nasi had been born in Portugal to a family that had been forcibly converted to Catholicism. Joseph was baptized in the church and raised under the name João Migues. In time, Joseph became a principal in the House of Mendes, a major trading and banking company of the age. As a financier, João/Joseph often dealt with the royal houses of Europe and the loan to the king of France was made while he was still openly a Catholic. For their own safety, the family had to leave Iberia and eventually they settled in the Ottoman Empire. Here they returned to Judaism and to their Jewish names. When Salim ascended to the throne he rewarded his Jewish friend with the Dukedom. When King Charles IX of France learned of this he disavowed his debt to the new Duke, insisting that the loan was taken from the Christian, João and that nothing was owed to the Jew, Joseph. Joseph, however owed money to the new Sultan and could not pay it unless the French loan was collected. In 1569 Sultan Salim II gave the Mendes/Nasi banking family permission to seize merchandise from French flagged ships in the port of Alexandria. The French protested to Istanbul and Sultan Salim notified King Charles that once the loan had been paid the merchandise would be returned. The dispute continued and grew. Two years later French vessels joined an allied fleet (about 200 galleys,) consisting mainly of Spanish, Venetian, and ships sent by the pope and a number of Italian states. They defeated the Moslem fleet of Turkish and North African galleys. OK, French anti-semitism, double-dealing and playing Let's you and him fight. Showing up with just enough force to claim to have contributed to victory. Some things never change. Like this: By 1571 the Moslems were firmly installed in Europe. Their ships ruled the Mediterranean Sea from the Strait of Bosporus to the Strait of Gibraltar and constantly preyed on Christian vessels unless they flew the French flag. Pope Pius V, in the last year of his papacy in 1571, tried to rally the nations of Europe to join in a Holy League to stop and roll back the Moslem enemy which threatened the entire continent. Spain, whose King Philip II was also King of Austria, responded favorably. Yup, some things never change. |
| Posted by: Slavigum Elmaith5329 2005-11-01 19:12 |
| #15 never underestimate Franks |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-11-01 18:29 |
| #14 Frank Reich, The Conqueror! |
| Posted by: Raj 2005-11-01 17:59 |
| #13 Occupied by the Turks in 1498, Lepanto is chiefly celebrated for the victory which the combined papal, Spanish, Venetian, and Genoese fleets, under Don John of Austria, gained over the Turkish fleet on 7 Oct., 1571. The latter had 208 galleys and 66 small ships; the Christian fleet about the same number. The crusaders lost 17 ships and 7500 men; 15 Turkish ships were sunk and 177 taken, from 20,000 to 30,000 men disabled, and from 12,000 to 15,000 Christian rowers, slaves on the Turkish galleys, were delivered. Though this victory did not accomplish all that was hoped for, since the Turks appeared the very next year with a fleet of 250 ships before Modon and Cape Matapan, and in vain offered battle to the Christians, it was of great importance as being the first great defeat of the infidels on the sea. Well, sounds about right JFM. On that note, Shipman, Poland doesn't border Austria but that didn't prevent them from showing up to save the day from the Turks. |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2005-11-01 17:43 |
| #12 Now JFM not many Protestant countries with gallies bordering the Med. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-11-01 17:35 |
| #11 Germans stopped Islam in France Present day Germans don't descend of those who stopped Islam. Those went to the Frank Reich ie France. :-) When the Spanish Empire ruled most of the world what did they do? Save Europe at Lepanto where the people of the protestant nations were conspicuously absent. |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-11-01 16:24 |
| #10 "While this may be an unorthodox view of life beyond Checkpoint Peter, be honest. It beats a 10-million-year harp concert, doesn't it?" Well, now that you mention it, yes! |
| Posted by: Secret Master 2005-11-01 15:31 |
| #9 "Because Charlie (the Hammer) never heard of Human Rights " yeah, which is why its called the "dark ages" The United States was founded by men like Jefferson and Adams who wanted to moved away from feudal remnants, and inscribed human rights into the Declaration and the US constitution. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2005-11-01 14:43 |
| #8 Germans stopped Islam in France. The Poles (I think) helped stop Islam at the gates of Austria. When the Spanish Empire ruled most of the world what did they do? Fight against their fellow Christians rather than roll back the Muslims. Very interesting. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz (no T!) 2005-11-01 13:57 |
| #7 Also no CNN. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-11-01 13:01 |
| #6 Because Charlie (the Hammer) never heard of Human Rights & Multi-culti? |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2005-11-01 12:47 |
| #5 I have some doubts about Muslims not well dressed enough: in Castilia (the plateau who covers most of Spain) winters can be very, very harsh. More than in the Poitiers region. What is probable is that after having destroyed everything on its path the Muslims found they couldn't expect supplies coming: they had to defeat the Frank Army or starve. Also the reports of Muslims having broken through the Frank square and being defeated only because of the rumor Franks were looting the Muslim camp are from a Muslim historian and look suspiciously like trying to embellish things and to blame the defeat on lack of virtue in the Muslim army (a constant between Muslim historians) |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-11-01 12:30 |
| #4 Franks weren't the kind of undisciplined savages depicted by the article: read Victor Hanson's book "Carnage and Culture" and the Franks you will have in your mind will look far more the iron covered Norman warriors depicted in the Bayeux tapestry than to savages with horned helmets and clubs, while tactically, the Franks were closer to the Roman model (even if leagues behind) than to the Germanic hordes of yore. Did I mention that unlike other Germanic tribes the Franks had allowed Gallo-Romans in the army specially in that infantry who carried the day. |
| Posted by: JFM 2005-11-01 12:15 |
| #3 However, as a hat tip to the valor of the unwashed barbarians, from that time on, European women refused to shave under their arms. |
| Posted by: Master of Obvious 2005-11-01 10:56 |
| #2 And to prevent this, what? A square of shaggy quasi-barbarians armed with swords, spears, and clubs. Perhaps Abd er Rahman's chief regret was that there were too few of the outnumbered foe to go around. ---- Now where have I heard that before????? |
| Posted by: anonymous2u 2005-11-01 10:44 |
| #1 Fun article. The excerpts are too short. Nothing new but very well written. The author should be invited to Rantburg. |
| Posted by: Juse Speretle2862 2005-11-01 10:38 |