Pepin the Short and the Expulsion of…
748 CE to 759 CE
Pepin the Short and the Expulsion of the Moors from Septimania
After consolidating power as sole mayor of the Franks, Pepin the Short launches a campaign against the Moors, who had retaken Narbonne. He successfully drives them out of Septimania, annexing the region into his expanding Frankish kingdom.
Weakened by internal strife between the Umayyads and Abbasids and preoccupied with conflicts against Christian forces in northern Spain, the Moors retreat south of the Pyrenees and abandon their raids into Frankish territories.
The Franks continue their conquests, reclaiming southwestern France, which had previously fallen to Islamic forces after the Visigothic defeat. They later extend their rule further, bringing the Balearic Islands under Frankish influence.
This marks a decisive shift in the balance of power, securing Frankish dominance in the region and curbing Moorish expansion north of the Pyrenees.
