Battle of Tours
Moussais-la-Bataille, France
What happened
Charles Martel, Mayor of the Palace and ruler of the Franks, together with Odo, Duke of Aquitaine, faced an Umayyad army led by Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi, governor of al-Andalus. An Umayyad army from Spain crossed into Gaul and marched toward the city of Tours. Charles Martel brought his army south and set up on high ground between Tours and Poitiers, and the two sides skirmished for about a week. When the Umayyad horsemen finally charged, the Frankish foot soldiers held firm, Abd al-Rahman fell, and his army withdrew.
Why it matters
Why it matters: The Umayyad army retreated back over the Pyrenees, and Charles Martel became more powerful. Many older historians called it a decisive battle, but modern historians are divided, and some see it as a large raid whose importance was exaggerated later.
What came next
Charles went on campaigning in southern Gaul, and his son Pepin captured Narbonne in 759. Charles's family went on to rule the Franks.
Did you know?
According to a chronicle written in 754, the Franks found the Umayyad camp empty the next morning, because the army had slipped away in the night.
Timeline
- October 732The two armies skirmish for about a week near Tours and Poitiers.
- 10 October 732The Franks hold off the Umayyad charges and Abd al-Rahman falls.
- 22 October 741Charles Martel dies at Quierzy and is buried at Saint-Denis.
- 759His son Pepin captures Narbonne.