Includes bibliographical references and index.

Three Legacies: Charles Martel, the Crusades, and Napoleon -- The Sahara and the Legion -- France, the Muslims, and the Eastern Mediterranean through World War I -- French Colonization in the Islamic World through the Interwar Years -- World War II, the Arabs, and the Empire -- The Beginning of the End of the French Islamic Empire -- The Algerian Crisis -- The Aftermath of Empire -- Documents -- Al-Maqqari on the Itinerary of the Eighth-Century Muslim Invasions of the Frankish Kingdom -- Differing Accounts of the Battle of Tours (732) -- The Crusades -- Napoleon in Egypt -- Bourmont's Ultimatum to the Dey of Algiers -- Guizot on Algeria: 'Abd al-Qadir, Bugeaud, and the Duc d'Aumale -- Nineteenth-Century Justifications of Empire -- Cromer on the Anglo-French Rivalry in the Middle East -- The Algeciras Convention -- The Sykes-Picot Agreement -- The King-Crane Commission -- Clemenceau on the Turkish Empire -- The Establishment of the Mandates -- The Independence of Morocco -- The Evian Accords (1962).

Watson explores France's 1,400-year relationship with Islam and Muslim populations.