Offa Rex was not a muslim!!!!!!!

Every once in a blue moon I Google Offa Rex. My favorite 8th Century King.

And the vast majority of pages are regarding the totally stupid concept that Offa became a muslim. I know I have sent email responses out before regarding this hog wash but I get urked everytime I read something that is so totally bogus and crap filled.

So here is my yearly refutation of this nonsense.

Pro: The coins of King Offa are high quality and have very nice arabic script on them saying that there is but one God and Alla is his prophet.

Refutation: Nobody in 8th Century Anglo-Saxon England knew what the hell Arabic script was. If Offa was going to pofess his faith in Islam why use arabic? Only spain and the eastern Mediterranian would know what it meant.

Pro: Offa being Christian is a big conspiracy

Refutation: I agree. The facts have conspired to refute the claim. Offa Rex was so jealous of power in ecclesiastical affairs in England that he had his own bishop elevated by the Pope to the level of Archbishp. And durring the latter days of his 40 year reign there were 3 archbishoprics in England.

After his death in AD 796 the see of Lichfield reverted back to a bishopric.
Offa also endowed numerous abbys and monasteries. He and his wife presided over several ecclesiastical synods. He was on very good terms with the Pope and received legates from Rome in AD 787.

Pro: Then why the arabic script?

Refutation: Because the finest mints in the world were run by Arabs in Spain and the near east. Arabian coins found there way all over Europe. Nobody much cared what was on them. Money was money. Minting coinage took time, skill, and had to be tightly controled. Kings owned mints not kingdoms.

Even Henry II in the 12th century carried the royal mint with him wherever he went. These coins came into Offa's England and he had the center restruck with "Offa Rex" in the center. That was enough verbage and people knew what that meant. Again why would the center of the coin by struck in Latin and the edges be in Arabic?

Finally there are 8th century Arabian coins that match Offa's penny exactly accept for the name of a Caliphate in the center. This name was flattened out and rehammered with Offa Rex.

Offa Rex Totius Anglorum Patrio (Offa King of all the English Fatherland) was a ruthless, pragmatic, and highly successful petty king. Islam was detested in Christendom and Offa would not have risen to his hight had he professed to be an Infidel.