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DDH - The Battle of Tours · Plausibly Live - The Dave Bowman Show Podcast

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  History's strange, it's alien, and it won't give us what we
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  would like to have. On October 10th, 1732, one of
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  the most important battles in world history took place.
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  You may or may not know anything about it.
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  The Battle of Tour was the day that Charles Martel, who would
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  be known as the Hammer, stepped up and quite literally put a
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  stop to Islamic expansion into Western Europe.
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  The battle was not It was just about swords and Shields.
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  It was about the future of Europe as we know it.
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  Had things gone differently that day, Western civilization might
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  look a whole lot different to us now.
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  To really understand the battle, we need to set the stage a bit.
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  Picture this. It's the 8th century.
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  The Umayyad Kalahi fate has been expanding like wildfire.
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  They've already swept through North Africa.
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  They've crossed into the Iberian Peninsula, what we call Spain,
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  and now they are eyeing the lands N Gaul, modern day France.
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  Europe at the time was fragmented.
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  It was a real mess. The Merovingian Kingdom was
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  crumbling. The Frankish territories were
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  under constant threat. Stepping into that chaos was
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  Charles Martel. Technically he was the mayor of
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  the palace. His title, believe it or not,
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  was actually more powerful than the King at the time, was more
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  just a figurehead. Charles knew that if he didn't
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  act, everything they'd held dear would be in danger.
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  The only odds were pushing hard into Gaul, and they had every
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  reason to think that they would win.
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  They had a battle hard, hardened, fast moving army, and
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  they were facing what they saw as a divided, disorganized
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  Europe. But Charles Martel had other
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  plans. He was tough.
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  He was tough as nails. He wasn't just some noble
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  sitting in a castle somewhere, he is.
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  He was a seasoned warrior who had fought alongside his men.
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  He was known for his brilliant tactics and his ability to unite
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  the Frankish forces at a time when they really needed strong
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  leadership. He wasn't just defending his
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  territory, he was defending a way of life, a faith and what he
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  saw as the future of his people on the other side.
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  Abdul Rahman, the commander of the Umayyad forces, there was no
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  slouch either. He was experienced, driven, and
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  he saw Europe as ripe for the taking.
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  He had already LED successful campaigns through spans through
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  Spain and into France, and he had his eyes set on expanding
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  even further. Now, Martel did not have the
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  luxury of a standing army as the Umiads did.
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  His forces were local militias, farmers, laborers, common folks,
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  but they did have something going for them.
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  They were fighting for their homes.
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  His army was heavy on infantry with strong defensive tactics,
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  and they were well armored for close combat.
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  They may not have been glor glamorous, but they were ready
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  to dig in and hold their ground. On the other side, Abdul Rahman
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  had the advantage of cavalry. His forces were fast, highly
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  mobile, and they had seen success after success in their
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  conquests. The Umiad cavalry was feared
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  throughout Europe. They relied on speed and
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  maneuverability to overwhelm their enemies.
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  But this was not the plains of Iberia.
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  This was very dense, very unfamiliar territory.
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  Martel had decided to take a calculated risk.
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  He chose a defensive position, which forced the Umiad cavalry
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  to attack uphill. This wasn't going to be a
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  headlong charge. It was a very slow, grinding
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  clash. Martel's forces held a tight
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  formation, what we would call a shield wall.
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  The idea was simple. Hold your ground, absorb the
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  enemy's attacks. Let them tire themselves out,
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  much as Robert E Lee did at Fredericksburg.
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  It worked. The Frankish forces were like a
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  wall of stone. They stood their ground for
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  days. When the Umiads tried to
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  breakthrough, they were met with fierce resistance.
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  At a critical moment of the battle, Martel sent a group, a
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  small group, to raid the Umiad's camp, causing chaos in their
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  rank. When Abdul Rahman was killed
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  during the melee, the Umiad forces lost their nerve and they
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  retreated. It was a victory not just of
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  tactics, but of spirit. The Umiad's retreated and just
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  like that, they're pushing to Europe had been halted.
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  Charles Martel emerged victorious and this victory
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  solidified his power in the Frankish Kingdom.
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  He wasn't just a warlord anymore, he was now seen as the
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  defender of Christendom. The battle showed that Europe
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  wasn't going to be an easy conquest, and the Islamic
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  expansion to Western Europe halted, at least for the time
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  being. In the short term, Martel used
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  this victory to strengthen his control over the Frankish lands,
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  and it paved the way for future French dynasties.
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  The Umiyads, on the other hand, shifted their focus back to
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  consolidating their power in Iberia.
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  They realized that pushing further into Europe really
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  wasn't going to be worth the cost.
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  The Battle Tours has been viewed as the event that preserved
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  Christian Europe. Imagine if the Umiyads had
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  broken through. Europe might have fallen under
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  Islamic rule. The course of Western
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  civilization might have been entirely different.
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  Martel's victory laid the foundation for his grandson
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  Charlemagne to build the Holy Roman Empire.
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  It was the start of a united Christian Europe, although
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  united is kind of a We'll do that in air quotes.
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  And it reinforced a cultural identity that would shape the
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  continent for centuries. Depending on who you ask, the
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  Battle of Tours was either one of the most important battles of
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  history, or it was just another minor skirmish blown out of
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  proportions by later historians. Some say it's the defining
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  moment that saved Western civilization, others that its
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  importance has been exaggerated, especially during the 19th
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  century when European nationalists were looking for
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  moments of triumph over foreign invaders.
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  Either way, it's hard to ignore the facts that this battle had a
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  profound influence on Western identity.
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  It's why it matters today. It matters because it was one of
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  those pivotal moments when history could have gone in a
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  very different direction. It was about defending a way of
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  life, preserving a culture, setting the stage for what would
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  become modern Europe. Martel's victory wasn't just a
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  military success, it was a statement.
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  It was a line in the sand that said hitherto shalt thou come,
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  but no further. And that's why we still talk
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  about it today. Check out more stories from
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  history at Dave Does History org.