Battle of Tours

The Battle of Tours began on October 10, of the year 732. It was an important event in European history.


The Battle of Tours, or Battle of Poitiers, was in 732. This battle was between the Muslims and France. The Frankish leader was Charles Martel, with twenty to thirty thousand men against the Muslim leader Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, who had eighty thousand men.


The Battle of Tours took place because of the Muslim invasion. The Muslims had conquered Egypt, Syria, and North Africa before they continued on to their attempt to conquer Western Europe, and to bring an end to the Christian Europe. Charles Martel, the King of France (Mills54), chose to fight the Muslims from higher ground, making his enemy charge up the slope in order to attack the Franks. This is one of the few times that infantry was able to defeat cavalry.


Charles Martel, or The Hammer, was the victor in the Battle of Tours on October 10, 732. The loses on both sides are not known, however, some of the chronicles estimate the loses of the Franks to be about one thousand five hundred, and the Muslims to have had ten thousand loses. The victory of Martel helped stop the invading Muslims and helped the Western European Christian states to grow, or develop.


The Muslims moved through Egypt Syria and North Africa as an unstoppable force. However, when they arrived at Tours in 732, they were stopped by the King of France and his army (Cantor 136), on October 10, 732.


Cantor, Norman F. The Civilization of the Middle Ages. HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.; New York, NY, 1963-93.

Mills, Dorthy M.A. The Middle Ages. G.P. Putnam's Sons; New York, 1935.