History Lesson of the Day: Charles Martel

Charles Martel (CE 686 - 741), whose name literally means "The Hammer," is without question one of the biggest badasses in history. Aside from being a military mastermind, some have credited him with saving Western Civilization.

Charles was born to the "Mayor of the Palace" of Austrasia, Pepin II (AKA Pepin the Middle). Pepin was a strong leader who united most of the Middle Rhine Valley and controlled most all of the trade routes between the Rhine River and North Sea. As he was subduing the Neustrians to the west, Pepin passed away. Charles was a favorite for succession among the nobles because he was smart, of the right age, and physically seemed to fit the role of a leader being tall, muscular, and reportedly physically intimidating. However, one of Pepin's wives, Plectrude, wanted to secure the throne for her son Theudoald. To take Charles out of the picture, she had him thrown in jail in Cologne.

Plectrude's son Theudoald was only 8 when he became Mayor of the Palace. Immediately, the Neustrians rebelled, taking advantage of the weak leadership. Two Neustrian princes named Chilperic and Ragenfrid sought to march on Cologne to sack and plunder the city. Desperate for a savior, Charles was freed from prison but given mere days to organize the Austrasians. Unable to mobilize quickly, Charles suffered the only defeat of his career at the hands of the Neustrians' far larger force. He retreated to this hills of Eifel with what was left of his troops to reorganize and plan a counter attack. He determined to attack the enemy from all sides to compensate for his fewer numbers. Additionally, he would attack at midday when armies were traditionally permitted to relax. Although such a plan may seem obvious to us today, it's important to remember that military commanders at this time were deeply attached to tradition and customs. The plan worked perfectly and the Neustrians were routed. Over the brief war that followed, Charles gained a reputation for showing up where and when he was least expected. His quick and hard-hitting attacks, coupled with his sheer physical power and ability to bash in the skulls of his enemies earned him the nickname of "The Hammer."

Fighting a series of small wars against other Frankish kingdoms, Martel came to understand the need to have a professional army. At this time, soldiers were typically conscripted from local farms. Aside from having a glaring lack in discipline and training, these farmers had to leave for months at a time for harvest and planting season. Over the next few years, Charles would field the greatest army that had existed in Western Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire nearly 300 years prior. Additionally, Martel's tactics would have been reminiscent of Roman tactics. The Roman phalanx shown above would have been the most important tactic for the Austrasian military. To be successful, soldiers had to be incredibly disciplined to not break ranks even when the enemy broke the line.

Charles Martel also prided his military on being well-armored. Although the shield and spear were the most important weapons for the Austrasian soldier as they had been for the Roman, Macedonian, and Spartan soldiers, the Franks would be masters with a sword or battle-axe as well. The ultimate goal of any engagement would be to put the enemy on the run, chase them down, and slaughter them. Charles' soldiers were also known for their ability to live off the land. Often being deployed for months at a time, they could forage and hunt for food.

As all this was going on, Iberia (Spain) had been invaded by a group made up of Arabs and Berbers. Often known as the Moors, this group crossed the straight of Gibraltar in CE 711 and within eight years had brought the entire peninsula under Islamic rule and had established a Caliphate centered in Cordoba. Despite rumors, Islamic Spain was a pretty good place to live by most accounts. Science, architecture, and literature all flourished during this period and much of this influence is still seen in the architecture of buildings in cities such as Cordoba. By CE 721, this power (now referred to as the Umayyad Caliphate) was poised to push into Acquitane in a search for resources and plunder. The Duke of Acquitane named Odo the Great appealed to Charles, who agreed to help in return for Acquitane's submission to him. It became clear that the primary objective of their invasion would be the small town of Tours, which was rumored to hold much gold.

The commander of the Umayyad forces, Abd er Rahman, was a grizzled veteran of military command. Despite this, he allowed himself to be outmaneuvered by Martel in the lead-up to the battle. Martel placed himself on the high ground outside of the city on a wooded hill. Although the wooded hill would obscure his vision of the enemy, it would take away their greatest advantage: cavalry. Martel had no cavalry with him in the field while the Umayyad's had used the cavalry to tremendous effect on their conquest of Iberia. The trees would prevent the cavalry from launching a quick-hitting charge that could plow through the Frankish line. Additionally, Martel knew he would be outnumbered. Historians debate the true size of each force but most put the Franks at about 30,000 and the Umayyads at 80,000. Putting trees between himself and the enemy would also prevent them from realize how greatly they outnumbered Martel's forces.

The above image shows the terrain of the battlefield. Although it would have looked somewhat different 1300 years ago and although this may not have been the hill Martel used, it can give you a sense of what Martel may have seen. For 7 days, neither side attacked. Martel would not give up his position on the high ground and Rahman understood he had already goofed by allowing Martell to take this position and was weary of falling into a trap. Remember, Martel's forces were hardened, disciplined veterans who were used to cold, miserable conditions. The Umayyads were for the most part, undisciplined, poorly armored, and unacclimated to cold weather having fought in North Africa and Iberia if no where else. After a week, Rahman knew if he did not attack, he would have to return to Iberia and so he launched his cavalry.

The cavalry slammed into Martel's line but could not dislodge the Franks. Rahman launched attack after attack. This may be one of the few instances in history that larger cavalry force could not dislodge a smaller infantry force; credit this to Martel's ability to get the best out of his men. Some reported that at various times, the cavalry did break the line but the Franks would simply close ranks and continue fighting, never giving in to fear and retreating. Martel himself may have been surrounded at one point but somehow cut through enemy soldiers to rally his men. Martel smartly realized that the Franks could not hold out forever. He resolved to send a small group of reliable men to sneak into the Umayyad camp. Martel recognized their motivations for sacking Tours was plunder and sought to exploit that. He had his men set fire to the Umayyad camp, free their slaves, and generally wreak havoc. Upon seeing smoke rising from their camp, a slow trickle of Umayyads broke ranks to rescue their treasures. This slow trickle soon became a flood as Rahman lost control of his men. Unable to continuously sustain the force, he was forced to return to Iberia.

Martel's victory at the Battle of Tours (Poitiers) is generally viewed as the high-water mark of the Umayyad Caliphate. Had Martel failed to hold a small hill outside of Tours, Rahman would have very little standing in his way throughout the rest of Europe. Martel became a legend following the battle and continued to strengthen his kingdom for the rest of his life. Two generations later, his grandson and namesake Charles assumed the title of Charlemagne and became the first emperor in Western Europe since the collapse of the Roman Empire. Martel died in CE 741 with his badassery complete.

Sauces:
The Rise of the Medieval World, 500-1300: A Biographical Dictionary
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/halsall/source/732tours.asp
http://deremilitari.org/2013/09/the-battle-of-tours-poitiers-revisited/
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abd-al-Rahman-III
Late Merovingian France: History and Hagiography, 640-720
Charles Martel Turns South: The Hammer's Campaigns in Southern France