Never Forget ~ 732 A.D.

[Jay Cunningham]

THE BATTLE OF TOURS, A.D. 732

" The events that rescued our ancestors of Britain and our neighbors of Gaul from the civil and religious yoke of the Koran."

-GIBBON.


The Battle of Tours (October 10, 732), also called the Battle of Poitiers and in Arabic: معركة بلاط الشهداء ‎ (Battle of Court of The Martyrs), was fought in an area between the cities of Poitiers and Tours, near the village of Moussais-la-Bataille (modern Vouneuil-sur-Vienne) about 20km north of Poitiers. The location of the battle was close to the border between the Frankish realm and then-independent Aquitaine. The battle pitted Frankish and Burgundian forces under Austrasian Mayor of the Palace Charles Martel against an army of the Umayyad Caliphate led by ‘Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, Governor-general of al-Andalus. The Franks were victorious, ‘Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi was killed, and Charles subsequently extended his authority in the south. Ninth-century chroniclers, who interpreted the outcome of the battle as divine judgment in his favour, gave Charles the nickname Martellus ("The Hammer"), possibly recalling Judas Maccabeus ("The Hammerer") of the Maccabean revolt. Details of the battle, including its exact location and the exact number of combatants, cannot be determined from accounts that have survived. Notably, the Frankish troops won the battle without cavalry.

As later chroniclers praised Charles Martel as the champion of Christianity, pre-20th century historians began to characterize this battle as being the decisive turning point in the struggle against Islam, a struggle which preserved Christianity as the religion of Europe. "Most of the 18th and 19th century historians, like Gibbon, saw Poitiers (Tours), as a landmark battle that marked the high tide of the Muslim advance into Europe." Leopold von Ranke felt that "Poitiers was the turning point of one of the most important epochs in the history of the world."

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Steuben_-_Bataille_de_Poitiers.png

[ddemis]

Thank for the reminder Katar, I studied this battle in Catholic school in P.A. and everyone should train hard so we won't let our past fathers down. Like Tobey Keith says for the RED WHITE AND BLUE!

[ddemis]

Oh, and by the way long live Charles Martell.

[Abraxas]

Great post!!!!!!!!

[30 cal slut]

those poor europeans are undoing some of that hard work, it seems.

[FJB]

Another battle fought nearly 800 years later that was just as important. The following comments are from a retired Roman Catholic Priest, who fought long and hard against the liberal/pedophilia element that took root in the Church during the 60's.

"Next Tuesday, 7 October, is the day commemorating the defeat of the
Muslim fleet at Lepanto, off the coast of Greece. Christians
everywhere prayed. Catholics prayed the Rosary. The allied
Christian fleets were greatly outnumbered, but prayer saved the day.
15,000 Christian slaves were liberated from their chains in the holds
of the captured Muslim ships. The all-out assault to conquer Europe
was brought to a dead stop. May I ask you to pray the Rosary on 7
October, if you are Catholic. If not, please pray, as you pray
best. We need much prayer to STOP the conquest of the USA by the
pro-abortion extremists. I hope to see the polls dramatically
changed after 7 October. PLEASE, POR FAVOR, S'IL VOUS PLAIT.
MISERICORDIA, DOMINE !"

Separate comments

"I studied Islam many years ago. I have often said that Islam is less a
religion, more a form of fanatical mental illness! I referred to Islam from the
pulpit as a "blight" to the groans of the "liberal-brain-washed" hearers.

Twice before Islam was about to conquer Europe: having taken Spain,
:Portugal, 3/4 of France, all the islands of the Mediterranean
[Sicily, Sardinia, Balearics, Crete, etc.] Charles Martel stopped
them at Tours. Later, after conquering the Eastern Christian
[Byzantine] Empire, the Muslims conquered all the Balkan countries,
and surrounded Vienna, capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire [the
central European Christian state], when the Prince of Poland came with
an army and stopped their infidel advance. The Muslims slaughtered
more than half of the Hungarian population. But it has taken
hundreds of years to drive the infidels back [and they still hold
Constantinople, formerly capital of the Byzantine Christian Empire].
But now their third attempt at conquest is no longer with an army of
fanatical warriers but with immigrants who manage to bring an average
of 8 babies per couple into the world--a "battle of the cradles,"
whereby their numbers rapidly increase.

Non-Muslim couples are more interested in their third car, their
second vacation home, their 12th trip around the world, etc., than in
bringing up children. Many years ago Halliday Southerland wrote a
book, "Losing an Empire," in which he foretold how nominally Christian
and Jewish families were committing "race suicide" by losing the
"Battle of the Cradles." It seems not to matter how much we bring up
this subject. The vast majority will not listen. They still
foolishly believe [with ingrained prejudice brain-washed into their
heads in "schools"] that the Catholic Church teaches its members to
have as many kids as possible. But in reality it is the Mosques
that teach people to have as many kids as possible. So, unless we
decide to stop the advance of Islam, it would seem that all is lost to
the dictatorial Mullahs and Ayatollas.

What does it take to wake people up ? Barak HUSSEIN Obama has the
total support of Muslims in the USA, and is cheered on by the Muslim
foreign countries, which continue to milk off our dollars for their
accursed oil. And the polls [if they are correct] say that the
majority of USA voters have been seduced into voting for a Marxist
baby-butcher with an Islamic background. Were the sectaries right,
predicting the imminent end of the world ? NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL
GOOD MEN AND WOMEN TO COME TO THE RESCUE OF CIVILIZATION ON PLANET
EARTH ! Pray ! Spread the word ! Never tire ! Never give
up !"

[Safetyhit]

Another thumbs up to the OP. Worth remembering for sure.

[JBnTX]

After that there were 250 years of Crusades (Four major and at least three
minor) that fought the Muslim attempts to conquer the world.

What we are seeing today is not new!

Maybe it's time for the next Crusade?

[5POINT56]

Great post. Fantastic piece of very significant, yet little known history that truly impacted our world.

Well done...I love this stuff.

[telecustom]

I have actually started to wear the Crusader Cross on my kit. Both CONUS and OCONUS. This is a Crusade lets just be honest and call it what it is. We must stop the spread now while we still can. The politically correct crap has allow it to spread. I'm not saying that Christians have all the answers. In fact I disagree with almost everything, but they have a better understanding for dealing with people then Musliams. Maybe it is just a cultural thing.

Just my .02

[Low Drag]

The Franks used a mix of professional solders mixed with militia.

They also used a phalanx on a wooded hillside to break the enemy calvary up.

Solid discipline & tactics.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Anybody read Victor Davis Hanson's "Carnage and Culture"? He covers these two battles in the context of clashes of civilizations. Great book. Western cultures kick the crap, on the whole, not because of the Guns, germs and steel, but because of the west's reliance on freedom, representative rule, and freedom of speech, and technological explotation. That's why the Soviets can give the Arabs all the planes they want and Israel cleans their clock.

Rorke's Drift battle between the British and the Zulu is one of my favorite. The book goes a bit long and gets repetitive, but I really liked it.

Another Crusade isn't going to solve the problem. An Arab Renisance, and unfortunately a Thirty Years War between the 7th and 21st centuries is what is going to fix it. That and Britney Spears videos beamed 24/7/365.25

[Jay Cunningham]

That and Britney Spears videos beamed 24/7/365.25

She actually looks good in her new one. :D

[Impact]

Never forget what your ancestors did. History tends to repeat itself.

[DarrinD]

Thanks for the post. Anybody know the source of the "Quote" in the OP? While I certainly agree that it was a great battle and a great victory, I still tend to believe that divine providence did not take sides in the many battles, wars, and Crusades between the Christian states and Islamic Caliphates. But, I'll go pray about it tonight and ask.

V day against the Islamic invasion of Europe, as hinted to above, was in 1492 when the final Islamic army was routed and forced out of modern day Spain and Europe. There is a new Islamic Jihad brewing, and even if it is only 1% of an otherwise peaceful people, that is still about 10 million Islamic Jihadists that want nothing less than all of our deaths. Never Forget 732 A.D. indeed.

[DarrinD]

Never forget what your ancestors did. History tends to repeat itself.
I don't
It will.
Not enough people care to learn from it.