Tours/Poitiers, Battle of (732)
Clifford J. Rogers
Abstract The 732 Battle of Poitiers or Tours (actually fought somewhere between those two cities) has long been viewed as one the most important European history, for several reasons. Even in Middle Ages it was considered a crucial turning point struggle Islam and Christendom, which until then had gone mostly favor Muslims. It also recognized significant milestone rise Franks, particularly Mayor Palace Charles Martel, founder Carolingian dynasty, thus key step on way to creation empire under Martel's grandson Charlemagne, such transformative effect broad sweep history. By late eighteenth century, third argument great significance battle put forward. In 1796, George Ellis suggested that Martel sufficiently impressed with Muslim cavalry he encountered at Poitiers, disappointed his own inability follow up battlefield victory, its aftermath began effort supply himself more mounted troops. This accomplished by taking lands from church redistributing them soldiers, retaining nominal ownership. As Heinrich Brunner argued much fully century later, this would effectively make spark initiated development feudalism Europe.
The Encyclopedia of War