Arabic into latin: 10th – 12th centuries translations in europe

The bulk of studies on the transmission of Islamic science to the West focuses on the preponderance of the translations between the tenth and twelfth centuries in Spain. The trigger of the translations is usually presented as the Reconquista of Toledo in 1085. However, this Hispano-centric narrative distorts our understanding of the translation process. It associates the transmission of Islamic learning to a political, strategic and military event although the translations were a part of the Western scientific process that was already ongoing since the first century. By the tenth century, the Western scientific tradition was in a standstill but the dynamics that led to the translations were already active, not in the Iberian Peninsula but beyond the Pyrenees. The initial translations that emerged in the tenth century in the north eastern Spain stimulated the knowledge activities in France and prepared the suitable ground for further translations. Even though France contributed very weakly to the literal translations, the actors from France were very influential on the translation activities in Toledo. These activities ended up by an immense acquisition of knowledge which circulated to France to be assimilated. This thesis explores the contribution of France in the translations between the tenth and twelfth centuries. By this way, this study aims to posit the translations of this period within the Western scientific process.