Martel, Patton and Burnside…warriors three:
Charles Martel, born around 686, and died in 741 was a Frankish statesman and military leader who as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. Building on his father’s work, he restored centralized government in Francia and began a series of military campaigns that re-established the Franks as the undisputed masters of all Gaul. After he established a unity in Gaul, his attention was called to foreign conflicts, and dealing with the Islamic advance into Western Europe was a foremost concern.
Arab and Berber Islamic forces had conquered Spain, crossed the Pyrenees, seized a major dependency of the Visigoths, and after intermittent challenges, under the Arab Governor of al-Andalus Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, advanced toward Gaul and on Tours, “the holy town of Gaul”; in October 732, the army of the Umayyad Caliphate led by Al Ghafiqi met Frankish and Burgundian forces under Charles Martel in an area between the cities of Tours and Poitiers, leading to a decisive, historically important Frankish victory known as the Battle of Tours, ending the “last of the great Arab invasions of France,” a military victory termed “brilliant” on the part of Martel.
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