When The French Beat Back Moslem Aggression: Charles Martel at Tours

Catholic Encyclopedia ^ | 2000? | Anon

[aristeides]

The Ghost of Martel must be weeping since 1940...

Since earlier than that, I think. The tomb of Charles Martel, like that of most of the kings of France, is in the Basilica of Saint Denis outside Paris. Unfortunately, his tomb, like the others, was desecrated by the French Revolutionaries in 1792.

[aristeides]

The Moslems conquered Spain with an army smaller than the one Charles Martel defeated in France.

That was because the Visigothic kingdom from which the Moslems took Spain was internally divided and not popular with much of the population of Spain.

[Live free or die]

Hmmmm. I may take back one or two of the things I have said about the French. :)

Please let's not kid ourselves! Charles Martel like his son Pepin and his granson Charles the Great were Franks. Calling them French would be like calling Silvio Berlusconi a distant relative of the Ceasars or Cleopatra descendant of the Pharoes.

I don't mean to impugn the honor of the Frankish bloodlines, but a lot happens in a thousand years folks.

[Grand Old Partisan]

Not much other than that North Africans are swarming all over southern Spain.

[Grand Old Partisan]

The started things off by killing the Visagoth king in a long-distance cavalry raid.

[Grand Old Partisan]

The Moslems started things off by killing the Visogoth king in a long-distance cavalry raid.

[expatpat]

Tours isn't that far from Paris, even closer to Versailles, so Martel eally had to put the hammer down, so to speak.

[Clemenza]

Half-Polish American Bump!

[Pharmboy]

Of course---you are right; but, the Franks gave their name to the French (and to Frankfort I guess). After the Franks, the Gauls (Celts) and the Allemaigne--who the heck were they, anyway? Goths?

[Cloud William]

Yo, Chuck... your ears must certainly be burning, no? ;-)

[NovemberCharlie]

The Allemanni were one of the Germanic tribes that moved into Germany after the Goths headded down south to occupy the former Roman Empire.

[eleni121]

The Byzantine Greeks held back Islam for 800 years in Eastern Europe, and continued to preserve the ancient and Christian cultures through the darkness of Turkish and Arab Islamic oppression.

[Pharmboy]

Thanks for the info re: The Hammer's grave. I did not know that.

[Charles Martel]

A world-class example of "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished". My namesake arguably did as much to preserve the Catholic Church (and Christianity in general) as had any Pope, yet when he took action against people who had the Church's ear, well, just look at the nonsense they spread:

In order to maintain his power, Charles had to engage in continual struggles with various princes, both secular and ecclesiastical. Following his victory at Poitiers in 732, he attacked some unruly bishops including Eucherius of Orléans. Because of this, his memory suffered. During the ninth century, his tomb at the abbey of St. Denis is said to had been opened by the abbot, and a hideous dragon supposedly emerged from a blackened, charred and otherwise barren coffin; thus demonstrating Charles Martel's damnation for despoiling the Church of its property. Later historians at St. Denis said he had taken Church lands only temporarily and had intended eventually to reimburse and further enrich the Church.

Sounds like the abbot was very fond of the sacramental wine, if you ask me.

[Romulus]

It's worth remembering the date of the Battle of Vienna: September 11.

[Black Agnes]

ping.

[Pharmboy]

...or magic mushrooms.

[Pharmboy]

ping!