Okla-homey
10/11/2007, 05:32 AM
October 11, 732 A.D.: Battle of Tours
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/6194/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxmartelcharles01ak1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Charles Martel...he saved western Europe from Muslim rule
1275 years ago, at the Battle of Tours near Poitiers, France, Frankish leader Charles "The Hammer" Martel*, a Christian, defeated a large army of Spanish Moors, halting the Muslim advance into Western Europe.
For the record, Charles Martel was the grandfather of Charlemagne (a/ka Karl der Grosse auf deutsch)
Abd-ar-Rahman, the Muslim governor of Córdoba (Cordova) in Spain, was killed in the fighting, and the Arabs retreated from Gaul (modern France), never to return in such force.
http://img447.imageshack.us/img447/9615/marteltours7zp.png
Charles was the illegitimate son of Pepin, the powerful lord of the palace of Austrasia (in modern western France) and effective ruler of the Frankish kingdom. After Pepin died in 714 (with no surviving legitimate sons), Charles beat out Pepin's three legitimate grandsons in a power struggle and became leader of the Franks.
Martel expanded the Frankish territory under his control and Charles "The Hammer" won arguably one of the most decisive battles in all of history.
http://img447.imageshack.us/img447/2787/martel37rj.jpg
They didn't call him Charles "The Hammer" for nuthin'
By 731, a Muslim army, in a search for land and to end of the sway of Christianity, after their successful conquests of Syria, Egypt, and North Africa, had begun to invade Western Europe under the leadership of Abd-er Rahman, governor of Spain. The goal was to ensure the entire civilized world was ruled by Islamic potentates.
Abd-er Rahman led a force of approximately 400,000 soldiers across the Western Pyrenees and into the Loire River valley, but they were met just outside the city of Tours by Charles "the Hammer" and his Frankish army.
Martel gathered his forces directly in the path of the oncoming Muslim army and we believe he probably formed them into a massive phalanxe -- interlocked solid square of men, protected by overlapped shields, bristling with their spears.
Martel's Frank's bearing swords, shields, war hammers, axes, and spears were well trained. Despite the success of the Muslims in previous battles, their cavalry was unable to break the Frankish square.
http://img447.imageshack.us/img447/8971/phalanxlds1ks.jpg
A Greek phalanx from several hundred years earlier, but useful to illustrate the concept...just imagine a lot more d00ds.
The invading Muslims rushed forward, relying on the slashing tactics and sheer numbers of heavy horse that had brought them victories in the past. The key to the Frank's survival was discipline and remaining in their formation -- had they broken or even began to lose cohesiveness, the Muslim horse would have then been able to wade into the melting phalanxe and it would have been "game over" for the Franks.
http://img447.imageshack.us/img447/2186/martel17vw.jpg
It was one of the rare times in the Middle Ages when infantry held its ground against a mounted attack. Wave after wave of Muslim horse charged the Frankish formation but each melted away, skewered on the Frank's spears like frankfurters at a weenie roast (I couldn't resist.) Charles' relatively few mounted men then waded in and dispatched the Arabs who lingered with their spiked war-hammers.
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/7/martel703pxcarlosmartelempoiti.jpg
A sort of romanticized 18th century painting of the Battle of Tours. This hangs in the gallery at Versailles.
The exact length of the battle is undetermined; Arab sources claim that it was a two day battle whereas Christian sources hold that the fighting clamored on for seven days. :eek: That's why we often see the date represented as either October 10 or 11th.
In either case, the battle ended when the Franks captured and beheaded Abd-er Rahman. After seeing their leaders head displayed on a Frankish pike, the Muslim army withdrew peacefully overnight and even though Martel expected a surprise retaliation, there was none.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/6184/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx005bd6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Modern reproduction of a 15c. war hammer. A popular part of European weaponry for centuries, the thing could be brought down with great force on armour and would thus puncture it (and the d00d underneath).
For the Muslims, the death of their leader let the air out of their plan for conquest and they retreated back across the Pyrenees, never to return again.
Not only did this prove to be an extremely decisive battle for the Christians, but the Battle of Tours is considered the high water mark of the Muslim invasion of Western Europe.
http://img447.imageshack.us/img447/4637/martelhongrie1ho.jpg
The Carolingian Family coat of arms -- Carolingian is merely the Latin way of saying the Charles Family. Latin "Carol" = "Charles" in English and French, "Karl" in German.
Victory at Tours ensured the ruling dynasty of Martel's family, the Carolingians. His son Pepin became the first Carolingian king of the Franks, and his grandson Charlemagne (Charles the Great) carved out a vast empire that stretched across Europe. FWIW, Charlemagne was known as "Karl der Grosse" auf Deutsch
http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/3739/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx078wy9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The French, who only have a few military heroes, named a battleship, built in the 1890's Charles Martel.
Epilogue:
*Charles "The Hammer" Martel may (or may not be) be related to Rick "The Model" Martel of WWF fame.
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/3088/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxmodelag8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Rick "The Model" Martel...he's Canadian and stuff.
MAUL MIZZOU!
http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/4169/insane7zo8iz.jpg
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/6194/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxmartelcharles01ak1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Charles Martel...he saved western Europe from Muslim rule
1275 years ago, at the Battle of Tours near Poitiers, France, Frankish leader Charles "The Hammer" Martel*, a Christian, defeated a large army of Spanish Moors, halting the Muslim advance into Western Europe.
For the record, Charles Martel was the grandfather of Charlemagne (a/ka Karl der Grosse auf deutsch)
Abd-ar-Rahman, the Muslim governor of Córdoba (Cordova) in Spain, was killed in the fighting, and the Arabs retreated from Gaul (modern France), never to return in such force.
http://img447.imageshack.us/img447/9615/marteltours7zp.png
Charles was the illegitimate son of Pepin, the powerful lord of the palace of Austrasia (in modern western France) and effective ruler of the Frankish kingdom. After Pepin died in 714 (with no surviving legitimate sons), Charles beat out Pepin's three legitimate grandsons in a power struggle and became leader of the Franks.
Martel expanded the Frankish territory under his control and Charles "The Hammer" won arguably one of the most decisive battles in all of history.
http://img447.imageshack.us/img447/2787/martel37rj.jpg
They didn't call him Charles "The Hammer" for nuthin'
By 731, a Muslim army, in a search for land and to end of the sway of Christianity, after their successful conquests of Syria, Egypt, and North Africa, had begun to invade Western Europe under the leadership of Abd-er Rahman, governor of Spain. The goal was to ensure the entire civilized world was ruled by Islamic potentates.
Abd-er Rahman led a force of approximately 400,000 soldiers across the Western Pyrenees and into the Loire River valley, but they were met just outside the city of Tours by Charles "the Hammer" and his Frankish army.
Martel gathered his forces directly in the path of the oncoming Muslim army and we believe he probably formed them into a massive phalanxe -- interlocked solid square of men, protected by overlapped shields, bristling with their spears.
Martel's Frank's bearing swords, shields, war hammers, axes, and spears were well trained. Despite the success of the Muslims in previous battles, their cavalry was unable to break the Frankish square.
http://img447.imageshack.us/img447/8971/phalanxlds1ks.jpg
A Greek phalanx from several hundred years earlier, but useful to illustrate the concept...just imagine a lot more d00ds.
The invading Muslims rushed forward, relying on the slashing tactics and sheer numbers of heavy horse that had brought them victories in the past. The key to the Frank's survival was discipline and remaining in their formation -- had they broken or even began to lose cohesiveness, the Muslim horse would have then been able to wade into the melting phalanxe and it would have been "game over" for the Franks.
http://img447.imageshack.us/img447/2186/martel17vw.jpg
It was one of the rare times in the Middle Ages when infantry held its ground against a mounted attack. Wave after wave of Muslim horse charged the Frankish formation but each melted away, skewered on the Frank's spears like frankfurters at a weenie roast (I couldn't resist.) Charles' relatively few mounted men then waded in and dispatched the Arabs who lingered with their spiked war-hammers.
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/7/martel703pxcarlosmartelempoiti.jpg
A sort of romanticized 18th century painting of the Battle of Tours. This hangs in the gallery at Versailles.
The exact length of the battle is undetermined; Arab sources claim that it was a two day battle whereas Christian sources hold that the fighting clamored on for seven days. :eek: That's why we often see the date represented as either October 10 or 11th.
In either case, the battle ended when the Franks captured and beheaded Abd-er Rahman. After seeing their leaders head displayed on a Frankish pike, the Muslim army withdrew peacefully overnight and even though Martel expected a surprise retaliation, there was none.
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/6184/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx005bd6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Modern reproduction of a 15c. war hammer. A popular part of European weaponry for centuries, the thing could be brought down with great force on armour and would thus puncture it (and the d00d underneath).
For the Muslims, the death of their leader let the air out of their plan for conquest and they retreated back across the Pyrenees, never to return again.
Not only did this prove to be an extremely decisive battle for the Christians, but the Battle of Tours is considered the high water mark of the Muslim invasion of Western Europe.
http://img447.imageshack.us/img447/4637/martelhongrie1ho.jpg
The Carolingian Family coat of arms -- Carolingian is merely the Latin way of saying the Charles Family. Latin "Carol" = "Charles" in English and French, "Karl" in German.
Victory at Tours ensured the ruling dynasty of Martel's family, the Carolingians. His son Pepin became the first Carolingian king of the Franks, and his grandson Charlemagne (Charles the Great) carved out a vast empire that stretched across Europe. FWIW, Charlemagne was known as "Karl der Grosse" auf Deutsch
http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/3739/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx078wy9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The French, who only have a few military heroes, named a battleship, built in the 1890's Charles Martel.
Epilogue:
*Charles "The Hammer" Martel may (or may not be) be related to Rick "The Model" Martel of WWF fame.
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/3088/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxmodelag8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Rick "The Model" Martel...he's Canadian and stuff.
MAUL MIZZOU!
http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/4169/insane7zo8iz.jpg