William's Response
William, equally disturbed by the treatment of the abbot, raised the feudal host and took to the offensive. His army consisted not only of men from Provence, but also the lower Dauphiné and Nice.
William's strategy was simple: he struck at the heart of Saracen Provence with the whole of his force. This did not go unnoticed by the Andalusis, who went out to meet the Provençals in the Alps. They were defeated in a series of five battles at Embrun, Gap, Riez, Ampus, and Cabasse. Thoroughly beaten back, the Saracens assembled in an open plain called Tourtour not far from Fraxinetum. There, the sixth and final battle of the war was fought. William defeated the Andalusis in the field and chased them back to Fraxinetum, where they sheltered while the Provençals rested.
After a brief break from campaigning, William made an assault on Fraxinetum. This attack was led by the lords of Levens, Aspremont, Gilette, Beuil, and Sospel. With La Garde-Freinet taken, the Andalusis were cut off in Fraxinetum, which was soon seized. The remainder of the Muslim army fled to a nearby forest, where they were soon overcome and entirely captured or killed.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Tourtour
Famous quotes containing the words william and/or response:
“Swans moulting die, snow melts to tears,
Roses do blush and hang their heads,”
—Henry Noel, British poet, and William Strode, British poet. Beauty Extolled (attributed to Noel and to Strode)
“There are situations in life to which the only satisfactory response is a physically violent one. If you don’t make that response, you continually relive the unresolved situation over and over in your life.”
—Russell Hoban (b. 1925)