Charles Martel

[Christa Jenneman]

Brilliant generalship

Martel earned his reputation for brilliant generalship, in an age generally bereft of same, by his ability to use what he had and by integrating new ideas and technology. As a consequence, he was undefeated from 716 to his death against a wide range of opponents, including the Muslim cavalry (at that time, the world's best) and the fierce barbarian Saxons on his own borders—and all this in spite of virtually always being outnumbered. He was the only general in the Middle Ages in Europe to use the eastern battle technique of feigned retreat. His ability to attack where he was least expected and when he was least expected was legendary. The process of the development of the famous chivalry of France continued in the Edict of Pistres of his great-great-grandson and namesake Charles the Bald.

[Christa Jenneman]

The defeats Martel inflicted on the Muslims were vital in that the split in the Islamic world left the Caliphate unable to mount an all out attack on Europe via its Iberian stronghold after 750. His ability to meet this challenge, until the Muslims self-destructed, is considered by most historians to be of macrohistorical importance, and is why Dante writes of him in Heaven as one of the "Defenders of the Faith." After 750, the door to western Europe, the Iberian emirate, was in the hands of the Umayyads, while most of the remainder of the Muslim world came under the control of the Abbasids, making an invasion of Europe a logistical impossibility while the two Muslim empires battled. This put off Islamic invasion of Europe until the Turkish conquest of the Balkans half a millennium later.

[Christa Jenneman]

H. G. Wells says of Charles Martel's decisive defeat of the Muslims in his "Short History of the World:

        "The Moslim when they crossed the Pyrenees in 720 found this Frankish kingdom under the practical rule of Charles Martel, the Mayor of the Palace of a degenerate descendant of Clovis, and experienced the decisive defeat of Poitiers (732) at his hands. This Charles Martel was practically overlord of Europe north of the Alps from the Pyrenees to Hungary."[24]

[Christa Jenneman]

John H. Haaren says in “Famous Men of the Middle Ages”

        ”The battle of Tours, or Poitiers, as it should be called, is regarded as one of the decisive battles of the world. It decided that Christians, and not Moslems, should be the ruling power in Europe. Charles Martel is especially celebrated as the hero of this battle.”

[Christa Jenneman]

Just as his grandson, Charlemagne, would become famous for his swift and unexpected movements in his campaigns, Charles was legendary for never doing what his enemies forecast he would do. It was this ability to do the unforeseen, and move far faster than his opponents believed he could, that characterized the military career of Charles Martel.

[Christa Jenneman]

It is notable that the Northmen did not begin their European raids until after the death of Martel's grandson, Charlemagne. They had the naval capacity to begin those raids at least three generations earlier, but chose not to challenge Martel, his son Pippin, or his grandson, Charlemagne. This was probably fortunate for Martel, who despite his enormous gifts, would probably not have been able to repel the Vikings in addition to the Muslims, Saxons, and everyone else he defeated. However, it is notable that again, despite the ability to do so, (the Danes had constructed defenses to defend from counterattacks by land, and had the ability to launch their wholesale sea raids as early as Martel's reign), they chose not to challenge Charles Martel.

[Christa Jenneman]

Conclusion

J.M. Roberts says of Charles Martel in his note on the Carolingians on page 315 of his 1993 History of the World:

        It (the Carolingian line) produced Charles Martel, the soldier who turned the Arabs back at Tours, and the supporter of Saint Boniface, the Evangelizer of Germany. This is a considerable double mark to have left on the history of Europe."

[Christa Jenneman]

Gibbon perhaps summarized Charles Martel's legacy most eloquently: "in a laborious administration of 24 years he had restored and supported the dignity of the throne..by the activity of a warrior who in the same campaign could display his banner on the Elbe, the Rhone, and shores of the ocean."

[Christa Jenneman]

Family and children

Charles Martel married twice:

His first wife was Rotrude of Treves, (690-724) (daughter of St. Leutwinus, Bishop of Treves). They had the following children:

    * Hiltrud (d. 754), married Odilo I, Duke of Bavaria
    * Carloman
    * Landrade (Landres), married Sigrand, Count of Hesbania
    * Auda, Aldana, or Alane, married Thierry IV, Count of Autun and Toulouse
    * Pippin the Short

His second wife was Swanhild. They had the following child:

    * Grifo

Charles Martel also had a mistress, Ruodhaid. They had the following children:

    * Bernard (b. before 732-787)
    * Hieronymus
    * Remigius, archbishop of Rouen (d. 771)
    * Ian (d. 783)

[Christa Jenneman]

Ancestors
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   Pepin of Landen    
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   Ansegisel    
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   Itta    
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   Pepin of Herstal    
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   Carloman
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   Begga    
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   Charles Martel    
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   Arnulf of Metz    
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   Alpaida    
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
   Saint Doda    
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 


Charles Martel
Carolingian Dynasty
Born: 686 Died: 741
Preceded by
Pepin II the Middle    Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia
717–741    Succeeded by
Carloman
Preceded by
Ragenfrid    Mayor of the Palace of Neustria
717–741    Succeeded by
Pepin the Short

[Christa Jenneman]

Notes

   1. ^ Schulman, Jana K. (2002). The Rise of the Medieval World, 500-1300: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 101. ISBN 0313308179.
   2. ^ Littlewood, Ian (2002). France. Rough Guides. p. 34. ISBN 1858288266.
   3. ^ Cawthorne, Nigel (2004). Military Commanders: The 100 Greatest Throughout History. Enchanted Lion Books. pp. 52-53. ISBN 1592700292.
   4. ^ Fouracre, Paul (2000). The Age of Charles Martel. Longman. p. 55. ISBN 0582064759.
   5. ^ Kibler, William W.; Zinn, Grover A. (1995). Medieval France: An Encyclopedia. Routledge. pp. 205-206. ISBN 0824044444.
   6. ^ The Frankish Kingdom. 2001. The Encyclopedia of World History
   7. ^ "Charles's victory has often been regarded as decisive for world history, since it preserved western Europe from Muslim conquest and Islamization." Battle of Tours - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
   8. ^ Fouracre, John. “The Age of Charles Martel
   9. ^ deMartelly, Louis. [1]. "Charles Martel and the Lance of Destiny." Author Solutions (2008).
  10. ^  "Charles Martel". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913. http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Catholic_Encyclopedia_(1913)/Charles_Martel.
  11. ^ Davis1999, p. 104.
  12. ^ a b Santosuosso, Anthony . Barbarians, Marauders, and Infidels2004
  13. ^ Poke's Fifteen Decisive Battles
  14. ^ An Islamic Europe?, Tomorrow's World, Volume 8, No 3. ; An Islamic Europe?
  15. ^ Watson, William, E. (1993). The Battle of Tours-Poitiers Revisited. Providence: Studies in Western Civilization v.2 n.1.
  16. ^ Barbero, 2004, p. 10.
  17. ^ Mastnak, 2002, pp. 99-100.
  18. ^ Hanson, Victor Davis, 2001, p. 167.
  19. ^ Medieval Sourcebook: Pope Gregory II - Appeal to Charles Martel
  20. ^ Hanson, 2001, p. 141-166.
  21. ^ a b Bennett, Michael. Fighting Techniques of the Medieval World
  22. ^ Hanson, 2001, p. 154.
  23. ^ Fredericksburg.com - Why Islam didn't conquer the world I vs. From the plains of medieval France to the modern Mideast, militant Muslims test Christians and Jews
  24. ^ 45. The Development of Latin Christendom. Wells, H.G. 1922. A Short History of the World

[Christa Jenneman]

References

    * deMartelly, Louis. [2], "charles Martel and the Lance of Destiny," 8 (2008).
    * Watson, William E., "The Battle of Tours-Poitiers Revisited", Providence: Studies in Western Civilization, 2 (1993)
    * Poke,The Battle of Tours, from Sir Edward Creasy, MA, Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World From Marathon to Waterloo
    * Edward Gibbon, The Battle of Tours, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
    * Michael Grant "History of Rome"

[Christa Jenneman]

External links

    * Ian Meadows, "The Arabs in Occitania": A sketch giving the context of the conflict from the Arab point of view.
    * http://www.standin.se/fifteen07a.htm Poke's edition of Creasy's "15 Most Important Battles Ever Fought According to Edward Shepherd Creasy" Chapter VII. The Battle of Tours, A.D. 732.
    * Richard ****, "Civil War and the Umayyads"
    * The Battle of Tours 732, from the "Jewish Virtual Library" website: A division of the American-Israeli Cooperative.
    * Tours, Poiters, from "Leaders and Battles Database" online.
    * Robert W. Martin, "The Battle of Tours is still felt today", from about.com
    * Medieval Sourcebook: Arabs, Franks, and the Battle of Tours, 732
    * Arabs, Franks, and the Battle of Tours, 732: Three Accounts from the Internet Medieval Sourcebook
    * Medieval Sourcebook: Gregory II to Charles Martel, 739
    * Foundation for Medieval Genealogy

[Christa Jenneman]

In summary, Charles Martell is the person to thank that Europe, and, by extension America, did not become Islamic.