Siege of Narbonne ( 752 – 59 ) The Siege of Narbonne took place between 752 and 759 led by Pepin the Short against the Muslim stronghold defended by an Andalusian garrison and its Gothic and Gallo - Roman inhabitants . The siege remained as a key battlefield in the context of the Carolingian expedition south to Provence and Septimania starting in 752 . The region was up to that point in the hands of Andalusian military commanders and the local nobility of Gothic and Gallo - Roman stock , who had concluded different military and political arrangements to oppose the expanding Frankish rule . Umayyad rule collapsed by 750 , and Muslim territories were ruled autonomously by Yusuf ibn ' Abd al - Rahman al - Fihri and his supporters . Approaches . In 752 , after obtaining the Pope´s recognition and the dignity of King of the Franks and deposing the last Merovingian king , Pepin the Short felt free to focus all his might on subduing the Septimania and Provence . Previously his father Charles Martel failed to conquer the whole region , and left a deep scar by devastating various cities that had failed to support him . While the Gothic magnates didn´t support the Franks formerly , things were changing this time : Nîmes , Agde and Béziers were handed over to him by the Gothic count Ansemundus . Mauguio surrendered too . Count Miló was at the time ruling in Narbonne as a vassal of the Andalusians , but when Ansemundus handed over several cities to Pepin , Miló didn´t join , probably deterred by the strong Muslim garrison stationed in the city . Start of the siege . The Frankish king Pepin finally lay siege to the Gothic - Muslim Narbonne in 752 with a view to seizing it with no delay . However , Pepin suffered a major blow when his main local , Gothic ally Ansemund us was killed by a rival Gothic faction during the besieging operations in 754 . The death of the count was followed by a revolt in Nîmes that was put down by Pepin , and a Frankish governor imposed . Furthermore , the Aquitanian rival duke Waifer is recorded about this period leading an army of Basques against the Carolingian king on the rearguard of his siege of Narbonne . The Narbonnese garrison and residents were able to withstand Pepin´s siege thanks to the supplies provided by sea by the Andalusian navy . Conquest of Narbonne . In 759 , Narbonne wasn´t receiving reinforcements from Al - Andalus , rife as it was with internal fights . Yusuf ibn ' Abd al - Rahman al - Fihri , wali of al - Andalus , had to quash a rebellion in Zaragoza in 756 , and immediately head south to fight Abd ar - Rahman I , who defeated him . Northeastern Iberia and the remainder of Septimania was left without any relevant commander in charge . Finally , the defenders of Narbonne ( made up of Muslims and non - Muslims alike ) surrendered to the Frankish forces after killing the Andalusian garrison and opening the gates of the stronghold to the investing forces of the Carolingian king . Previously , the king Pepin had promised to uphold and respect the Gothic laws and probably their own government , so garnering the allegiance of the Gothic nobility of Septimania . Aftermath . After the conquest of Narbonne , the Muslims retreated to their Andalusian heartland after 40 years of occupation , and the Carolingian king Pepin came up reinforced . The government of the city was assigned to the Gothic count Miló , who had fled the city 5 years before when it was besieged , and had retreated to Trausse ( Aude ) . The submission of Septimania allowed the Frankish King to divert his attention to his only internal opponent , the independent duke of Aquitaine Waifer . In the wake of Narbonne´s submission , Pepin took Roussillon , and then directed his effort against , Rouergue and Albi geois in Aquitaine leading to the battle for Aquitaine .