942–956: Ibn Ḥayyān on Hungarian Raids and the Battle of Lechfeld

Abstract

In a hitherto little-noticed source passage, the Andalusian historiographer Ibn Ḥayyān reports in detail on the Hungarian invasions in al-Andalus. In this context, he briefly mentions a Frankish victory, which put an end to their raiding activities. Since the Hungarians were only defeated twice by Frankish troops, namely in the Battle of Riade (933) and in the Battle of Lechfeld (955), it seems that he referred to the latter. Against this backdrop, the article discusses how Ibn Ḥayyān's knowledge about this significant event relating to the history of Central Europe can be placed into the broader framework of tenth-century Ottonian–Umayyad relations.