Moslem and Frank; or, Charles Martel and the rescue of Europe from the threatened yoke of the Saracens — Context and Discussion

A Dual Structure: Moslemin and Franks

The book is divided into two parts, each with its own chapters. Part I, "The Moslemin," covers Arabia, Mohammed, and the early Khalifs up to Hesham. Part II, "The Franks," begins with the Frank Confederacy and Clovis, then moves to the decline of the Merovingians and the rise of the mayors of the palace. The title page announces this as Volume I of "Historic Sketches," suggesting a series. The excerpts show that Strauss treats each side in parallel, not in direct confrontation until the Battle of Tours. Readers should note that the narrative does not rush to the climax; it builds context through geography, genealogy, and doctrine.

The author's voice is present throughout: he calls the derivation of "Arabia" from "Eber" "problematical," and he describes Moawiyah's stratagem with the Koran on lances as a "crafty appeal to the reverential and superstitious feelings." This is not a dry chronicle but a moralized history, where Strauss judges characters and events.

Geographical and Ethnographic Foundations

The opening pages are a geographical description of Arabia: its boundaries, size ("ten times the extent of that of Great Britain and Ireland"), and its role as a "connecting link between Asia and Africa." Strauss emphasizes the peninsula's isolation and its "strongly marked individual character." He then discusses the derivation of the name "Arabia" from "Eber" or "Araba," though he finds the evidence "problematical." This attention to origins—of names, peoples, and religions—sets the tone for the entire work. The reader is given a foundation in physical and human geography before any political narrative begins.

Later, in the Frank section, similar groundwork is laid: the Frank Confederacy is introduced as a political entity, and Clovis is presented as its founder. The excerpts do not include the full Frankish chapters, but the pattern suggests that Strauss applies the same method—starting with land and people before moving to leaders and battles.

Moral Commentary and Character Judgment

Strauss does not hide his opinions. Moawiyah is described as "crafty," his arbitration a "disgraceful juggle." Ali is "noble" but betrayed, and his murder is recounted with pathos: "The dying Ali mercifully commanded his children to dispatch his murderer by a single stroke." The author also notes that Moawiyah "set the prophet's precepts at naught in the matter of wine-drinking" and kept eunuchs—details that serve as moral markers. This evaluative stance extends to the Franks, though the excerpts do not show it directly. Readers should expect a narrative where right and wrong are clearly delineated, and where the author's voice frequently interrupts to comment on character or consequence.

The footnotes, placed at the end of each chapter, add scholarly apparatus. One footnote explains that a Maltese cross indicates a death year. This suggests that Strauss aimed for a learned audience, blending popular history with academic citation.

Narrative Pacing and the Approach to Tours

The excerpts cover only the early parts of the book: the Arabian geography, Mohammed's life, and the Khalifate up to Moawiyah. The Battle of Tours, promised in the title, is not reached in the provided text. The table of contents shows that Chapter II of Part II covers "Charles Martel.—The Battle of Tours," but the excerpts stop before that. This means the reader must trust that the groundwork—the rise of Islam and the decline of the Merovingians—will pay off. The narrative pace is deliberate, even slow, with extensive background before action. The author's method is to build context thoroughly, so that when the two forces meet, the stakes are clear.

Readers should be prepared for a book that is as much about the Moslem world as about the Frankish one. The title's "Moslem and Frank" is taken literally: both sides receive equal structural weight. The Battle of Tours is the climax, but the journey there is through two distinct historical traditions.

Strauss's work is best approached as a dual biography of two civilizations on a collision course. The excerpts reveal a writer who values context, moral clarity, and vivid detail. Readers should not expect a fast-paced military history; instead, they will find a carefully constructed narrative that explains why the Battle of Tours mattered by first showing what each side represented. The footnotes and the author's asides reward careful reading, and the structure—two parts, each with its own arc—invites comparison between the Moslem and Frankish worlds.

Reading Strauss’s account of Charles Martel’s weary, determined defense of Europe, I found myself thinking less of battlefields and more of quiet strength, of faces etched with resolve rather than fury. It recalled the gentle, honest character studies in Pictures by Phil May — Background and Themes. Where Strauss paints grand historical strokes, May captures the ordinary person’s dignity, a softer kind of victory in everyday survival that lingered with me long after.