Aymenn’s Monstrous Publications: Medieval History

Medieval Latin Biographies of the Prophet Muhammad (III)

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 22:28:06 GMT

For prior instalments in this series, see:

- Anastasius the Librarian’s Ecclesiastical History
- Rodulf the Bald’s Histories

Hugh of Fleury was a French Benedictine monk who likely died in the early twelfth century CE, primarily known for his historical works, of which the most important is his Ecclesiastical History. An examination of the biography of Muhammad contained in his work shows influence from Anastasius the Librarian. In fact, Hugh tells us he consulted Anastasius for revising his historical work. Among the specific things he revised through this consultation were some of the details about the story of the ‘false prophet Muhamet.’ Even so, there are divergences in Hugh’s work, such as the fact that Khadija in this narrative is not only a wealthy businesswoman but also a ruler of a domain, and through marriage to her Muhammad acquires political power. Further, there is no fake monk who persuades Khadija of Muhammad’s prophethood.

Of note is that parallels with Hugh’s biography of Muhammad can be found in the later work ‘Chronicle of the World’ by the Spanish archbishop Lucas of Tuy (who lived in the mid-13th century CE), suggesting that its information enjoyed some transmission.

Below is Hugh’s biography translated and with annotations.

Medieval Latin Biographies of the Prophet Muhammad (II)

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 21:33:07 GMT

For prior instalments in this series, see:

(i) From Anastasius the Librarian’s Ecclesiastical History

Rodulf the Bald (d. 1046-1047 CE) was a French Benedictine monk associated with the famous abbey of Cluny. He composed a history work that is divided into five books and serves as an important source for European history around the turn of the second Christian millennium.

The following extract is not a detailed biography of Muhammad but rather briefly discusses Muslim beliefs about his genealogy and his supposed fulfilment of prior Hebrew prophecies. It comes in the context of a story about the capture of Saint Maiolus of Cluny (the fourth abbot of Cluny- d. 994 CE) by a group of Muslim raiders in the Alps. The story, which is dated to 972 CE and is primarily intended to illustrate Maiolus’ piety, also features an interesting moment in which some of his Muslim captors reject and denounce defilement of the Bible by one of their companions.

Podcast Interview: 'A Christian History of Muslim Spain'

Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 21:49:35 GMT

I was recently interviewed by Djene Bajalan, an associate professor of history at Missouri State University. We discussed my translation and study of Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada’s Minor Histories published by Manchester University Press. We discussed the 13th century archbishop’s career, his history of Spain project, and how he situated the history of the Arabs/Muslims (the final instalment in this project) within his conception of Spain’s history, and what the works tells us about his perceptions of Islam and Christian-Muslim relations in the Iberian peninsula.

You can access the podcast here.