Charles “the Hammer” Martel and the Battle of Tours, 732.By 732 Charles Martel was alrea

Charles “the Hammer” Martel and the Battle of Tours, 732.By 732 Charles Martel was already famous for uniting much of France under his rule through a series of civil wars.  At the same time the Moors of the Umayyad Caliphate had conquered Spain, threatening to drive into the heart of Christian Europe.  In 732 Moorish forces invaded southern France and drove deep into France, stopping south of modern day Normandy.  The two armies met at Tours in October of 732.  The Frankish army consisted of highly trained professional troops of mostly Frankish and Burgundian origin.  The backbone of the Moorish army was their heavily armed and armored cavalry.The Moors charged the Franks, believing that they would easily sweep them off the field as they lacked cavalry of their own.  However, after several assaults the disciplined and professional Frankish soldiers held.  Martel countered by ordering a surprise assault on the Moorish rear, destroying their camp and supply train.  Without food and supplies the Moors were forced to retreat back to Spain.The effects of the Battle of Tours would reverberate for generations.  Charles would gain the name “Martel” meaning “The Hammer”.  He would found a dynasty of Frankish kings known as the Carolingians.  One of his descendants would rule over a united empire encompassing France, Germany, Austria, Italy, and parts of Eastern Europe.  Named Charles the Great, but better known to history as Charlemagne, he would be named “Emperor of the Romans”, reviving an old Roman Imperial title and setting the foundations for the Holy Roman Empire.The Moors would return to Spain but never make any more campaigns farther into western Europe.  Overall the Battle of Tours signaled the end to Muslim conquests in Europe with the exception of the Turks in the Balkans.  The Battle of Tours would also kick off a centuries long reconquest of Spain (reconquista) which wouldn’t be completed until around the times of Christopher Columbus.  -- source link

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