1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:17,319 Speaker 1: This is shields high. Gather around, my friends, for I 2 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,279 Speaker 1: have a story to tell, the epic tale of a 3 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:26,640 Speaker 1: man who came to be known as the Hammer, Charles Martel. 4 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: You may have heard of Charles, perhaps in passing, or 5 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: maybe not at all. That's because there are two versions 6 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:38,840 Speaker 1: of what happened on that fateful day. One of those versions, 7 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 1: in the year of our Lord seven thirty two a 8 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:45,519 Speaker 1: d is the one generally taught in schools today if 9 00:00:45,520 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: it's covered at all, and it goes something like this. 10 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 1: After the fall of Rome, the greatest civilization the world 11 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:56,400 Speaker 1: had ever known, there was a skirmish in the territory 12 00:00:56,440 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: of what is today France. A Muslim raiding force fought 13 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:04,319 Speaker 1: a Frankish army near the towns of Tours and Poitiers. 14 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: The Muslims lost this battle, and then the Christian forces 15 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:12,319 Speaker 1: went back to squabbling amongst themselves, and the dark ages 16 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: continued on for a few hundred years. Some scholars and 17 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 1: historians maybe use this event as something of a geographic marker, 18 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:25,280 Speaker 1: in that this battle, the Battle of Tour, was the 19 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:28,080 Speaker 1: furthest that Muslim soldiers ever made it into the heart 20 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: of Europe. But I have another version for you the 21 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: truth of what happened in October of seven thirty two 22 00:01:36,800 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: on that field near the cities of Tours and Poitiers. 23 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: Europe was saved, Jihad was stopped, Christendom was preserved, Western 24 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: civilization survived. Yes, the modern world we now know all 25 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:58,000 Speaker 1: of it. All of it turned on Charles Martel defeating 26 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: a ruthless and skilled Islamic army through a great roll 27 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 1: of the dice. Because of that day, on the tenth 28 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: of October seven thirty two, because of those brave soldiers 29 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 1: under the command of Prince Charles of the Franks, the 30 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: forces of Jihad were held at bay, and the Middle 31 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: Ages led to the Renaissance, the Age of Exploration, the 32 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: Industrial Revolution, and the global ascendants of the Western world. 33 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:33,640 Speaker 1: But it almost was not so. The darkness of conquest, 34 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: slavery and submission nearly spread across the whole of Europe. 35 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:44,200 Speaker 1: There would have been no Europe, no Britain, and no 36 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: America had Charles lost on that day. When you look 37 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 1: through the lens of the years proceeding this battle, the 38 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 1: victory at Tour was something of a miracle. In fact, 39 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:01,480 Speaker 1: the odds heavily favored that the forces of Islam would 40 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:06,079 Speaker 1: have easily swept away Charles and his forces off the battlefield. 41 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 1: Once that was accomplished, the underbelly of Europe lay almost 42 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: entirely undefended. Paris is only one hundred and fifty miles 43 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,720 Speaker 1: or so from Turl, where the pivotal battle took place. 44 00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 1: If Charles had lost, there were simply no force that 45 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: would have stopped the Muslim general Abdal Rahman al Kafiki 46 00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: from conquering all the way to the coast of northern 47 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: France and beyond. The nineteenth century historian Sir Edward Gibbon 48 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: described the dire situation of the Christian forces leading up 49 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: to the Battle of Turl in his Decline and Fall 50 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:48,840 Speaker 1: of the Roman Empire, and he described a seemingly invincible 51 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 1: march of the Islamic hordes. In this way, a victorious 52 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 1: line of march had been prolonged above a thousand miles 53 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: from the Rock of Gibraltar to the banks of the Loire. 54 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: The repetition of an equal space would have carried the 55 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:08,560 Speaker 1: Saracens to the confines of Poland and the highlands of Scotland. 56 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: The Rhine is not more impassable than the Nile or Euphrates, 57 00:04:13,240 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 1: and the Arabian fleet might have sailed without a naval 58 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 1: combat into the mouth of the Thames. Perhaps the interpretation 59 00:04:21,240 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: of the Koran would now be taught in the schools 60 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 1: of Oxford, and her pulpits might demonstrate to a circumcised 61 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:38,359 Speaker 1: people the sanctity and truth of the revelation of Muhammad 62 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: and quote. Those were the stakes on the battlefield that day. 63 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:49,040 Speaker 1: At turn, everything that we know, cherish and love in 64 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: the West could have been lost. To fully appreciate how 65 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 1: unlikely the victory of Charles Martell's side was that day. 66 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:02,920 Speaker 1: To get a real sense of the desperation of those 67 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:06,480 Speaker 1: Christian foot soldiers and light cavalry on the battlefield of Tours, 68 00:05:06,839 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: we have to look at the events leading up to it. 69 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:14,479 Speaker 1: A desert prophet of the Arabian Peninsula over three thousand 70 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 1: miles away, had inspired a band of fanatical warriors to 71 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:24,359 Speaker 1: march under the banners of Islam. Their goal was no 72 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:29,600 Speaker 1: less than the subjugation of the entire world, and in 73 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: the early seven hundreds they were coming closer and closer 74 00:05:34,680 --> 00:05:42,159 Speaker 1: to that and state part one the Unstoppable Jihad. Given 75 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:46,080 Speaker 1: their rapid succession of victories and the massive breadth of 76 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 1: territories that conquered in the seventh century, many true believers 77 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:54,000 Speaker 1: from within the Umba the Islamic community were certain that 78 00:05:54,120 --> 00:06:00,200 Speaker 1: absolute victory was inevitable. The forces of Jihad, Christians the 79 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: Saracens during this period had a breathtaking series of triumphs 80 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:09,119 Speaker 1: that brought the Crescent Moon of Islam to the entire 81 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 1: Arabian Peninsula and well beyond. It stretched across what we 82 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,240 Speaker 1: know today as the Middle East. Muslim armies made it 83 00:06:17,320 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 1: as far east as the Indus River on the Indian subcontinent, 84 00:06:21,279 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: and all the way across North Africa, from Egypt in 85 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:30,239 Speaker 1: the east to what is today Algeria in the west 86 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:35,279 Speaker 1: and Morocco. Much of these gains came at the expense 87 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: of the Byzantine Empire, though it would be more accurate 88 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:41,160 Speaker 1: to think of the Byzantines and their capital city of 89 00:06:41,200 --> 00:06:46,240 Speaker 1: Constantinople as the Eastern Roman Empire. You see, the Roman 90 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 1: Empire fell in four seventy six a d. Leading to 91 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,119 Speaker 1: the Dark Ages in Europe. But Rome had broken into 92 00:06:53,240 --> 00:06:56,359 Speaker 1: East and West long before then, and it was a 93 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 1: Christian empire in the seventh and eighth centuries. But it 94 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:06,160 Speaker 1: had deteriorated inside and out. It was this enfeebled Byzantine 95 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:11,920 Speaker 1: Empire that was left with the defense of Eastern Christianity, 96 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 1: and it was outmatched by the fanatics of Islam. What 97 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:21,880 Speaker 1: we now think of as the heart of the Arab 98 00:07:22,040 --> 00:07:26,640 Speaker 1: Muslim Middle East was until the warriors of Muhammad came 99 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: along in the seventh century. Christian land a century of 100 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:37,960 Speaker 1: expansionist jihadist blitzkrieg had only been slowed by geography and 101 00:07:38,080 --> 00:07:42,119 Speaker 1: natural boundaries. It seemed there were no armies that could 102 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:46,520 Speaker 1: stand up to the Islamic onslaught, no army, that is, 103 00:07:47,200 --> 00:07:53,120 Speaker 1: until Charles Martel. But there were tremendous advantages for the 104 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:57,960 Speaker 1: Islamic hord, most notably their cavalry. They were simply too 105 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 1: good for any of the defenders they had come up against. 106 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,240 Speaker 1: Conversion or death by the sword had been the only 107 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:07,080 Speaker 1: choice given to the men and women caught in the 108 00:08:07,120 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: path of the Caliph, the ruler of Islam from which 109 00:08:11,320 --> 00:08:16,240 Speaker 1: we derived the term caliphate. It was only the wealthiest 110 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 1: and most well defended city of the Christian world at 111 00:08:19,880 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 1: this time, Constantinople present day Istanbul, Turkey, that was able 112 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:29,679 Speaker 1: to check the advance of Islam with the first siege 113 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:34,720 Speaker 1: of the city unsuccessful in six seventy four. Despite the 114 00:08:34,920 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: massive losses of Byzantine lands to the east that preceded 115 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:46,480 Speaker 1: the siege, the Jihad found another pathway into Europe. While 116 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:51,560 Speaker 1: naval capabilities in the early eighth century made a major 117 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 1: invasion by the sea unlikely to succeed even against a 118 00:08:56,360 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: weakened and squabbling Christian Europe, the conquest and conversion of 119 00:09:02,800 --> 00:09:07,960 Speaker 1: all of North Africa opened another avenue of invasion by 120 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:13,560 Speaker 1: the Muslims into Europe. Under the Umayad Caliphate, whose capital 121 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:18,960 Speaker 1: city was Damascus in modern Syria, a backdoor invasion route 122 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: into Europe became possible. Rather than battering down the immense 123 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:29,080 Speaker 1: walls of the nearly impregnable fortress of Constantinople, the Umayads 124 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:34,320 Speaker 1: could cross the Mediterranean at the Strait of Gibraltar that 125 00:09:34,480 --> 00:09:40,559 Speaker 1: separate the continent of Africa from that of Europe. Morocco 126 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:45,200 Speaker 1: is a mere seven miles across the water from Spain. 127 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:51,679 Speaker 1: In fact, Gibraltar was named for the Arab general Tarik Ibbinzayed. 128 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:58,320 Speaker 1: Gibraltar is Gebil Terek, or the Mountain of Terek. Others 129 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,360 Speaker 1: had called it the Pillars of Hercule or the Strait 130 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:06,200 Speaker 1: of Cadiz, but Gibraltar would become the invasion route for 131 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:10,880 Speaker 1: the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, which would take seven 132 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:14,840 Speaker 1: hundred years for the forces of Christendom, most notably the 133 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:19,880 Speaker 1: Spanish Kingdom, to reverse in fourteen ninety two a d. 134 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:25,079 Speaker 1: In seven eleven a d. The Saracens did not merely 135 00:10:25,160 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 1: have the Iberian Peninsula in their sites. They expected to 136 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:33,560 Speaker 1: crush the European Christians as easily as they had much 137 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:37,959 Speaker 1: of the Byzantine forces, the Persians and countless other nations 138 00:10:37,960 --> 00:10:42,840 Speaker 1: and tribes who had stood in their path to no avail. 139 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:45,880 Speaker 1: At the start of the eighth century, Europe was in 140 00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 1: the Dark Ages. The glory of Rome had long since faded. 141 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 1: Once the Caliphate added the kingdoms of Western Europe to 142 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:59,560 Speaker 1: its domains, the Jihad would have Christendom in a pincer 143 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:04,199 Speaker 1: from east and west. It would be a crescent moon 144 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 1: as vice to destroy the entirety of the European Christian world. 145 00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 1: In time, Constantinople would be surrounded, Christianity itself could be extinguished. 146 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:24,000 Speaker 1: Those were the stakes and the situation of the Christian 147 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:28,960 Speaker 1: states in advance of that fateful battle between Charles Martel 148 00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:37,440 Speaker 1: and the Saracens. Part two, The Muslim Conquest of Spain. 149 00:11:38,679 --> 00:11:43,040 Speaker 1: The Caliph in Damascus, al Walid the First, was also 150 00:11:43,080 --> 00:11:47,840 Speaker 1: the leader of the Umayad dynasty. He felt nearly invincible 151 00:11:48,120 --> 00:11:53,560 Speaker 1: as his armies crossed the threshold of Europe into Spain 152 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:59,320 Speaker 1: in seven eleven a d. The Umayads had already taken 153 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:04,800 Speaker 1: the Sanian Empire of Persia, and they had completely overrun 154 00:12:05,280 --> 00:12:09,640 Speaker 1: much of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Empire. That of the Byzantines. 155 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 1: They had plundered, seized those captives they wanted, and converted 156 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:20,640 Speaker 1: countless Christians who had no choice. With vast domains already 157 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 1: under the Caliph's thumb, the Iberian Peninsula was a ripe 158 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 1: target for invasion. And make no mistake about it, this 159 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:35,199 Speaker 1: military mission into Hispania, as it was called, was a jihad. 160 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:40,440 Speaker 1: It was holy war. The Muslim armies of the early 161 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:44,240 Speaker 1: seven hundreds believed that it was their religious duty to 162 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:48,839 Speaker 1: kill or convert all who stood in their way. Pillage, 163 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:56,480 Speaker 1: rape and slaughter were conducted without compunction by the Islamic horde. 164 00:12:57,080 --> 00:13:01,600 Speaker 1: They called the territory of Spain al LuSE, named for 165 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:05,280 Speaker 1: the Vandals. Much of the Islamic army that crossed the 166 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:09,440 Speaker 1: Strait of Gibraltar was comprised of Berbers, a North African 167 00:13:09,480 --> 00:13:13,800 Speaker 1: ethnic group that would later form the vast Almoad Empire 168 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:18,520 Speaker 1: in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Berbers were skilled on 169 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:24,280 Speaker 1: horseback and fearless warriors. Muslims defeated the Visigoths in Spain. 170 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:29,160 Speaker 1: Within a decade, they had established control of the Iberian 171 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 1: Peninsula in its entirety. The Emirate of Cordoba, as it 172 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:38,679 Speaker 1: was called, became one of the most influential and prosperous 173 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:43,560 Speaker 1: Muslim regions in all history. The Christian states of Europe, meanwhile, 174 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:48,200 Speaker 1: were constantly at each other's throats. This was how Charles 175 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 1: Martel the Hammer became the wily and skilled commander that 176 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 1: would save Christianity. Long before the arrival of the Muslim 177 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:00,520 Speaker 1: Horde at the Battle of Tour, Charles had been honing 178 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:05,440 Speaker 1: his strategies and tactical proficiency against a host of his 179 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:09,920 Speaker 1: fellow Christians. He fought against Germanic tribes in the decade 180 00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:14,440 Speaker 1: before the Battle of Tour, notably the Saxons, and consolidated 181 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 1: his power. A big part of Charles's success involved getting 182 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:23,280 Speaker 1: the support of the Church. You see, Charles was never king. 183 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:27,040 Speaker 1: He was technically the mayor of the palace, or referred 184 00:14:27,080 --> 00:14:30,920 Speaker 1: to as a prince, but he wielded more authority than 185 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:35,040 Speaker 1: the actual King of the Franks during his reign, As 186 00:14:35,080 --> 00:14:40,200 Speaker 1: the threat of Islamic conquest grew more imminent, Charles understood 187 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 1: that to defeat the Saracens he would need money for 188 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 1: an army that was not limited by the harvest season. 189 00:14:48,920 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: Charles even went as far as to seize church lands 190 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:55,920 Speaker 1: and funds to pay for his troops. The Savior of 191 00:14:56,080 --> 00:15:00,280 Speaker 1: Christianity ironically, was at one point on the verse urge 192 00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 1: of excommunication by the Church. But then the major Muslim 193 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:12,760 Speaker 1: invasion that all expected grew nearer and nearer. Starting in 194 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:16,120 Speaker 1: seven twenty one a d. The Christian kingdom to the 195 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:19,560 Speaker 1: south of the Franks, Aquitaine, was under assault by the 196 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:23,920 Speaker 1: Saracens and losing battle after battle, in fact that the 197 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:28,040 Speaker 1: city of Toulouse. It took a last minute reprieve by 198 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:32,240 Speaker 1: Duke Odo of Aquitaine to reinforce the besieged city and 199 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: chase away for a time the Muslim commander al Gafiki's army. 200 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 1: But Odo knew that the only way he could regain 201 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:46,080 Speaker 1: that lost territory in Aquitaine and prevent the full seizure 202 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:49,880 Speaker 1: of his kingdom by the forces of Jihad was to 203 00:15:49,920 --> 00:15:54,800 Speaker 1: ally with Charles Martel of the Franks. With this pact 204 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 1: in place, Charles and Duke Odo would force one decide 205 00:16:00,360 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: battle It would echo throughout the ages. The Battle of Tour, 206 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 1: Part three. The final battle is joined October tenth, in 207 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:17,880 Speaker 1: the year of Our Lord seven thirty two. Fifteen thousand 208 00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:22,440 Speaker 1: Francs stood across the field against a formidable army of 209 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:28,320 Speaker 1: fifty thousand Saracens. The Christians were outnumbered by the Muslim 210 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:33,480 Speaker 1: forces by over three to one, including an elite vanguard 211 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 1: of cavalry. Algafiki, the Muslim general, certainly thought he would 212 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 1: have his way with this force that opposed him. He 213 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:47,120 Speaker 1: wanted a decisive engagement. He no doubt thought that this 214 00:16:47,240 --> 00:16:51,280 Speaker 1: was an upstart rabble of Frankish barbarians who would break 215 00:16:51,360 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 1: lines and flee after the first cavalry charge or be 216 00:16:55,360 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: slaughtered in place. Gafiki's plan was clear. Once he had 217 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:04,320 Speaker 1: finished off Prince Charles, he could continue on with his 218 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:07,919 Speaker 1: army to pillage and destroy the city of tours and 219 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:10,959 Speaker 1: the monasteries in the area, which were thought to be 220 00:17:11,080 --> 00:17:16,600 Speaker 1: laden with riches. Charles Martel knew that he was outmatched 221 00:17:16,840 --> 00:17:22,320 Speaker 1: both in manpower and maneuver. His forces had been harassed 222 00:17:22,359 --> 00:17:26,320 Speaker 1: and attacked by Saracen scouting parties for seven days, but 223 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,960 Speaker 1: they refused to be drawn into an open field on 224 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:34,879 Speaker 1: the enemy's terms. Charles had to neutralize the speed and 225 00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: maneuverability of Gaffiki's cavalry while also compensating for being outnumbered. 226 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:45,520 Speaker 1: The high ground that was essential. Charles knew it was 227 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:49,080 Speaker 1: his only chance. He had to pick the place of 228 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:53,240 Speaker 1: battle or all would be lost. He ordered his forces 229 00:17:53,280 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 1: to hold the high ground on a hill with trees 230 00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:00,080 Speaker 1: screening both flanks and a hilly slope leading up to 231 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:04,280 Speaker 1: his main position. The incline limited the speed of the cavalry, 232 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:08,120 Speaker 1: and the trees both obscured the strength of charles forces 233 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:11,160 Speaker 1: and made it more difficult for cavalry charges to pull 234 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:15,760 Speaker 1: off a flanking maneuver. The formation Charles chose for his 235 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:20,640 Speaker 1: heavy infantry would have been familiar to the Roman legionaries 236 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:26,560 Speaker 1: or the Greek hoplights of centuries passed. The Franks formed 237 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:31,240 Speaker 1: a phalanx of spears and shoulder to shoulder, held their 238 00:18:31,280 --> 00:18:35,959 Speaker 1: shields high. Charles's men knew they could expect no quarter 239 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:40,040 Speaker 1: from the invading Muslim horde. If they lost, their villages 240 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:43,240 Speaker 1: would be burned to the ground, their women and children 241 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:48,800 Speaker 1: enslaved or massacred. The front line of infantry braced themselves 242 00:18:48,800 --> 00:18:53,680 Speaker 1: as the final assault commenced. The pounding hoofs of Gaffiki's 243 00:18:53,760 --> 00:19:07,400 Speaker 1: cavalry shook the ground. A wave of mounted Saracens crashed 244 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:12,120 Speaker 1: into Frankish shields, sending splinters and body parts in every direction. 245 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:18,159 Speaker 1: Blood sprayed across the muddy grass. Saracens on horseback thrust 246 00:19:18,280 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 1: at the Frankish foot soldiers with spears and hacked at 247 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: them with scimitars. The Francs in ranks behind the front 248 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 1: used their Francisca throwing axes to deadly effect, knocking lightly 249 00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:33,720 Speaker 1: armored Saracens off their horses and then finishing them off 250 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 1: with their short sword. Wave after wave of Saracen cavalry 251 00:19:39,640 --> 00:19:43,960 Speaker 1: charged into the Frankish ranks, and in near miraculous fashion, 252 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:49,080 Speaker 1: the Franks held their lines. According to Isidore of Baya's 253 00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:53,120 Speaker 1: chronicle quote in the shock of the battle, the men 254 00:19:53,200 --> 00:19:56,879 Speaker 1: of the North seemed like a north sea cannot be 255 00:19:57,040 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 1: moved firmly. They stood one close to another, forming as 256 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:06,120 Speaker 1: it were, a bulwark of ice, and with great blows 257 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 1: of their swords they hued down. The Arabs drawn up 258 00:20:10,320 --> 00:20:13,040 Speaker 1: in a band around their chief. The people of the 259 00:20:13,119 --> 00:20:18,680 Speaker 1: Austrasians carried all before them. Their tireless hands, drove their 260 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:25,399 Speaker 1: swords down to the breasts and quote the battlefield turned 261 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 1: into a mess of Saracen's writhing bodies, severed limbs, and 262 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:35,879 Speaker 1: spilled entrails. The martial contest between Cross and Crescent on 263 00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:40,480 Speaker 1: this day was turning into a route. It was not 264 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:44,879 Speaker 1: only Martel's choice of battlefield that was so essential to 265 00:20:44,960 --> 00:20:49,679 Speaker 1: this victory. He did have a contingent of scouts which 266 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:54,040 Speaker 1: he sent around the rear of the Saracen ranks. They 267 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:59,600 Speaker 1: were not noticed by their enemies. This Frankish scout troop 268 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:02,760 Speaker 1: hacked the camp of the Saracens, where all of the 269 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:07,280 Speaker 1: treasures in gold from their previous ransacking was stored. When 270 00:21:07,320 --> 00:21:10,960 Speaker 1: word reached the Saracen rear that their precious booty was 271 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 1: at risk, many of them left their comrades in arms 272 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:17,159 Speaker 1: to save the remnants of their treasure back at camp. 273 00:21:18,200 --> 00:21:21,320 Speaker 1: The Saracens further up the ranks saw this, and after 274 00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:25,359 Speaker 1: disheartening losses from the numerous cavalry charges, they believed that 275 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:29,679 Speaker 1: a full retreat was in effect. The bulk of forces 276 00:21:29,720 --> 00:21:33,919 Speaker 1: began to withdraw from the battlefield. The Saracens engaged in 277 00:21:34,040 --> 00:21:38,240 Speaker 1: combat saw this and ran to join their fleeing comrades. 278 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 1: General Algafiki, recognizing that the tide had turned, tried to 279 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:49,480 Speaker 1: rally his Saracens to his side. The franks rushed toward 280 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:54,680 Speaker 1: the commander of Islam's forces, surrounded him, and struck him dead. 281 00:21:55,920 --> 00:22:00,359 Speaker 1: Despite the pullback, Prince Charles refused to give pursuit, thinking 282 00:22:00,359 --> 00:22:04,680 Speaker 1: it could be a trap. The rest of Gaffiki's forces 283 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:12,119 Speaker 1: ignominiously retreated back to their camp. Muslim losses ran in 284 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:16,640 Speaker 1: the thousands of killed. Perhaps this is why the Arabs 285 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:19,000 Speaker 1: call what happened that day near the city of Tour 286 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:25,679 Speaker 1: the Battle of the Palace of the Martyrs. Charles Martel 287 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 1: had beaten the elite military of the Muslim Caliphate. Christendom 288 00:22:32,440 --> 00:22:37,920 Speaker 1: was saved from the Islamic conquest. Part four. The Holy 289 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:45,640 Speaker 1: Roman Empire and the Birth of Europe after Charles's tremendous victory, 290 00:22:45,680 --> 00:22:49,160 Speaker 1: this is how he became known as the Hammer. According 291 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:55,879 Speaker 1: to the Chronicle of Saint Denis quote, then he was 292 00:22:55,960 --> 00:23:00,600 Speaker 1: first called Martel for as a hammer of iron, of steel, 293 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:05,000 Speaker 1: and of every other medal. Even so he dashed and 294 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:08,960 Speaker 1: smote in the battle all his enemies, and what was 295 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:12,520 Speaker 1: the greatest marvel of all, he only lost in that 296 00:23:12,560 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: battle fifteen hundred men. Now after tour, there were numerous 297 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:25,879 Speaker 1: other engagements with Muslim forces, but Charles had established that 298 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:30,520 Speaker 1: he could defeat them. That the forces of Jihad were 299 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:34,960 Speaker 1: no longer invincible, and Charles borrowed one of their most 300 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:42,359 Speaker 1: important tactical advantages for himself, heavy cavalry. Charles recognized that 301 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,720 Speaker 1: going toe to toe and head to head with the 302 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:50,960 Speaker 1: Islamic forces would require maneuvers on his part that his 303 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:55,439 Speaker 1: Christian brethren up to that point had resisted or not 304 00:23:55,560 --> 00:24:01,720 Speaker 1: seen as absolutely necessary. Charles was also known for being 305 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:06,480 Speaker 1: the grandfather of Charlemagne, the founder of the Holy Roman 306 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:11,159 Speaker 1: Empire and the founder of Europe as we know it. 307 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:17,760 Speaker 1: The Carolingians came directly from Charles Martel the Hammer. Charles 308 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:21,600 Speaker 1: even donated land in central Italy to the Church, which 309 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:27,240 Speaker 1: later became the Papal States. He saved Christianity in Europe, 310 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:30,879 Speaker 1: set the basis for the world, the Western world that 311 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:35,480 Speaker 1: we know today, and kept alight the flame of Western civilization. 312 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:39,719 Speaker 1: Our next story in this series will be the Fall 313 00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 1: of Jerusalem. Please pass this podcast along to friends, spread 314 00:24:46,080 --> 00:24:49,440 Speaker 1: it far and wide. Let the great deeds of Charles 315 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:54,520 Speaker 1: Martel the Hammer be known for. As the Almogavars would 316 00:24:54,520 --> 00:24:58,560 Speaker 1: say during the raycong Quista as they smashed their swords 317 00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:03,160 Speaker 1: on stones to create sparks and prepare themselves for battle, 318 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:06,440 Speaker 1: it is time to awake Iron.