13 Muslim Invasions: Battle of Tours 732

Muslim Invasions: Battle of Tours

Battle of Tours - Background:

In the early 700s, after conquering the Iberian Peninsula, Umayyad forces pushed north into modern-day France. Initially meeting little resistance, they were able to gain a foothold and began launching attacks against Aquitaine. At the Battle of Toulouse in 721, Duke Odo was able defeat the Muslim invaders and forced them out of his realm. Returning ten years later, Umayyad forces led by the governor of Al-Andalus, Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, crushed Odo at the Battle of the River Garonne. Fleeing north, Odo sought aid from the Franks.

Coming before Charles Martel, the Frankish mayor of the palace, Odo was promised aid only if he promised to submit to the Franks.

Agreeing, Martel began raising his army to meet the invaders. In the years previous, having assessed the situation in Iberia and the Umayyad attack on Aquitaine, Charles came to believe that a professional army, rather than raw conscripts, was needed to defend the realm from invasion. To raise the money necessary to build and train an army that could withstand the Muslim horsemen, Charles began seizing Church lands, earning the ire of the religious community.