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Battle of Tours Timeline

(October 732 AD)

The Battle of Tours (also called the Battle of Poitiers) was fought in October 732 AD between Frankish forces led by Charles Martel and an invading Umayyad army under Abdul Rahman Al-Ghafiqi. The Frankish victory halted the northward advance of Muslim forces into Western Europe and cemented Martel's power, laying foundations for Carolingian rule. Less

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Muslim Expansion

Muslim armies push east and west in the late 7th century

660 - 700

Through the late 7th century, Muslim armies pushed east across Persia and west across North Africa, expanding the frontiers of the Islamic world and setting the stage for later campaigns into Europe.

Umayyad caliphate stretches from Morocco to China

661 - 750

Stretching from Morocco to China, the Umayyad caliphate based its expansion and success on the doctrine of jihad – armed struggle to claim the whole earth for God's rule, a struggle that brought much material success for a century.

Image source: Umayyad Caliphate

Umayyad caliphate stretches from Morocco to China

Collapse of the Umayyad dynasty

750

After a century of material success driven by the doctrine of jihad, Umayyad expansion suddenly ground to a halt followed by the collapse of the ruling Umayyad dynasty in 750 AD.

Image source: Abbasid Revolution

Collapse of the Umayyad dynasty

Early Chroniclers

Latin sources of the eighth and ninth centuries

700 - 900

The Latin sources of the eighth and ninth centuries are more numerous but remain imprecise, making it difficult to establish exact details such as army sizes and casualties at the Battle of Tours.

Vita Pardulfi written

750

The Vita Pardulfi, written in the middle of the eighth century, reports that after the battle 'Abd-al-Raḥmân's forces burned and looted their way through the Limousin region on their way back to Al-Andalus, implying they were not destroyed to the extent imagined in the Continuations of Fredegar.

Image source: Battle of Tours

Vita Pardulfi written

Continuators of Fredegar picture the battle as one encounter among many

750

The continuators of Fredegar's chronicle, who probably wrote in the mid-eighth century, pictured the battle as just one of many military encounters between Christians and Saracens – moreover, as only one in a series of wars fought by Frankish princes for booty and territory.

Image source: Chronicle of Fredegar

Continuators of Fredegar picture the battle as one encounter among many

Mozarabic Chronicle of 754 written

754

The Mozarabic Chronicle of 754 is a Latin source that contradicts the common assertion that the Franks were outnumbered at the onset of battle by at least two to one, showing early accounts were imprecise on details like army sizes.

Image source: Chronicle of 754

Mozarabic Chronicle of 754 written

Paul the Deacon writes his History of the Lombards

785

Writing around 785, Paul the Deacon reported correctly that the Liber Pontificalis mentioned casualty figures in relation to Odo's victory at Toulouse, though he claimed Charles Martel fought in the battle alongside Odo.

Image source: History of the Lombards

Paul the Deacon writes his History of the Lombards

Ninth-century chroniclers record the battle as divine judgment

800 - 900

Ninth-century chroniclers recorded the outcome of the battle as a divine judgment in favor of Charles and gave him the nickname Martellus ('The Hammer').

Chroniclers give Charles the nickname Martel

800 - 900

In the following centuries, chroniclers of the ninth century gave Charles the nickname of Martel (the hammer), but without attributing it to a single battle, as he had many victories under his belt.

Image source: Charles Martel

Chroniclers give Charles the nickname Martel

Later writers attribute Muslim casualties solely to Charles Martel

800 - 900

Later writers, probably influenced by the Continuations of Fredegar, attributed the Muslims' casualties solely to Charles Martel, and the battle in which they fell became unequivocally that of Tours-Poitiers.

Historical Interpretations

Commencement of the eighth century

701

Historians have described the commencement of the eighth century as one of the most important epochs in the history of the world, when on the one side Mohammedanism threatened to overspread Italy and Gaul, and on the other the ancient idolatry of Saxony and Friesland once more forced its way across the Rhine.

Pre-20th century historians praise Charles Martel as champion of Christianity

1800 - 1900

Later Christian chroniclers and pre-20th century historians praised Charles Martel as the champion of Christianity, characterizing the battle as the decisive turning point in the struggle against Islam, a struggle which preserved Christianity as the religion of Europe.

Edward Shepherd Creasy publishes The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World

1851

In his famous 1851 book, Edward Shepherd Creasy listed decisive battles including the confrontation between Muslims and Christians at Poitiers-Tours in 732, which was once considered a watershed event.

Image source: The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World

Edward Shepherd Creasy publishes The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World

Mary Elsie Thalheimer writes of the battle's significance

1874

Writing in 1874, Mary Elsie Thalheimer described the Muslims' purpose: after conquering France and Germany, to follow the Danube to its mouth, overturn the Greek empire, and thus surround the Mediterranean Sea with one great Moslem dominion.

Paul K. Davis reassesses the battle

1999

Writing in 1999, Paul K. Davis contributed to modern reassessment of the Battle of Tours, part of a broader trend of historians reevaluating its once-celebrated status as a decisive turning point in world history.

Historians downgrade Poitiers-Tours to a raid in force

2000

Modern historians have downgraded several battles once considered decisive, noting that the confrontation between Muslims and Christians at Poitiers-Tours in 732, once considered a watershed event, has been downgraded to a raid in force.

The Battle of Tours

Odo's victory at Toulouse

721

Duke Odo of Aquitaine won a victory over Muslim forces at Toulouse. The Liber Pontificalis mentioned casualty figures in relation to this victory, figures later writers would misattribute to Charles Martel at Tours-Poitiers.

Image source: Battle of Toulouse (721)

Odo's victory at Toulouse

Battle of Tours

Oct 10, 732

Charles Martel led Frankish forces against an invading Umayyad army under 'Abd-al-Raḥmân near Tours-Poitiers. The battle helped lay the foundations of the Carolingian Empire and Frankish domination of western Europe for the next century.

Modern Legacy

John Bagnell Bury assesses the battle

1900 - 1927

John Bagnell Bury, writing at the beginning of the 20th century, said of the Battle of Tours that it marked a moment when Mohammedanism threatened to overspread Italy and Gaul, reflecting earlier views of its world-historical significance.

Speer notes omissions from Hitler's table talk records

1942

Speer himself noted that when others took down notes of Hitler speaking privately for the table talks, Hitler's expression, even after 1942, of his desire to unite the Christian churches into a single established church 'as in England' was left out.

Image source: Hitler's Table Talk

Speer notes omissions from Hitler's table talk records

Hitler compares Islam to Communism in December 1942

Dec 1942

Hitler compared Islam to Communism – and Christian Europe's wars against Islamic empires to his war against the Soviet Union – on numerous occasions beginning in December 1942, referring to Islam as the empowering ideology of the anti-European world similar to Communism in his own day.

Hitler cites Poitiers in letter to Mussolini

Feb 1943

Among Hitler's many comparisons of Islam to Communism was one made in February 1943 in a letter to Benito Mussolini, part of his rhetorical framing of Christian Europe's historical wars against Islamic empires as parallel to his own war.

Hitler invokes the Arab wave broken at Poitiers

Mar 1944

In March 1944 Hitler stated that Germany was defending Europe as it had done in the past when it 'broke the Arab wave at Poitiers', and prevented south-eastern Europe from being 'lost forever' in the Great Turkish War.

Hitler compares Soviet-British alliance to Franco-Ottoman Alliance

Mar 1944

During March 1944, Hitler compared the alliance between the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom with the Franco-Ottoman Alliance against the Holy Roman Empire, saying that like France the British were allying themselves with an 'anti-European power'.

Image source: Franco-Ottoman alliance

Hitler compares Soviet-British alliance to Franco-Ottoman Alliance

Key Facts

  1. The battle took place in October 732 AD near Tours (or Poitiers) in present-day France.
  2. Charles Martel commanded the victorious Frankish army against Umayyad forces led by Governor Abdul Rahman Al-Ghafiqi.
  3. Abdul Rahman was killed during the battle, leading to the withdrawal of the Umayyad troops.
  4. The victory is traditionally credited with halting Islamic expansion into Western Europe from Iberia.
  5. The triumph strengthened Charles Martel's authority, paving the way for the Carolingian dynasty established by his descendants.

Source

This Battle of Tours timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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