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The Muslims of tenth-century Provence are a permanent fixture in the realm of folklore and legend. Through numerous attempts to explain and justify their historic settlement in southern France between the 890s and 970s, a number of mistruths have become the accepted standard in modern French historiography. Centuries of historical analysis have tended to obscure rather than clarify the course of events. In order to understand how this ‘Saracen legend’ was first created, this article examines modern historical and methodological approaches that have both shaped and perpetuated our view of the region. It asks how the story has evolved, and why it has remained so prevalent in the French historiography on tenth-century Provence.
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