Abdul Rahman al-Ghafiqi (died 732) was the Governor of al-Andalus under the Umayyad Caliphate. Abdul Rahman led the invasion of Francia from Spain, and he was slain in the disastrous defeat at the hands of the Franks in the Battle of Poitiers in 732 AD, putting an end to Muslim expansion in Western Europe.
Biography[]
Abdul Rahman al-Ghafiqi was from the Asiri tribe of Ghafiq, originating from present-day Asir Province in Saudi Arabia. When he relocated to Ifriqiya (Tunisia), he became acquainted with Musa ibn Nusair and Abd al-Aziz ibn Musa, the two governors of al-Andalus for the Umayyad Caliphate. He became a general of the Umayyads, and he fought at the Battle of Toulouse against Odo of Aquitaine's army in 721, where the Moors were severely defeated by the Franks. A rebellion in Catalonia led to Caliph Hisham appointing Abdul Rahman as Governor of Catalunya, and he defeated Uthman ibn Naissa and Odo of Aquitaine's allied forces.
In 732, Abdul Rahman commanded the Muslim army that invaded Francia. He defeated Odo of Aquitaine at the Battle of the River Garonne, and he reached up to Poitiers in central France before a Frankish army under Charles Martel engaged him between Poitiers and Tours. In the Battle of Tours, Abdul Rahman was killed while fighting the Frankish army. This battle marked the high water mark of the Muslim conquests.