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Charles Martel

688 CE – 741 CE

Retrace Charles Martel's life across the map — 8 events in chronological order, from a cinematic flythrough to a full timeline.

Life journey

1. Battle of Amblève716 CE
   The Battle of Amblève took place in 716 near Amel. The mayor of the palace of Austrasia, Charles Martel, defeated his Neustrian and Frisian rivals who were led by King Chilperic II, his mayor Ragenfrid, and Redbad, King of the Frisians. It was the first major victory of Martel in a long career of victories. In this battle Martel began demonstrating the military genius which would mark the remainder of his life.
2. Battle of Cologne716 CE
   The Battle of Cologne was fought near the city of Köln in 716. The battle is known chiefly as the first battle of Charles Martel's command and was his only defeat.
3. Battle of Vicy717 CE
   The Battle of Vincy was a battle of the Frankish civil war of 715–18 fought near Cambrai, in the modern département of Nord. It was a contest between Charles Martel and the Austrasians on one side and the king of the Franks, Chilperic II, and his mayor of the palace, Ragenfrid, on the other.
4. Battle of Soissons718 CE
   The Battle of Soissons of 718 CE was the last of the great pitched battles of the civil war between the heirs of Pepin of Herstal. Since Pepin's death in December 714, his grandson and heir Theudoald, his widow Plectrude, his possibly illegitimate son Charles Martel, his successor as mayor of the palace in Neustria Ragenfrid, and the new king Chilperic II had been waging a war for ascendancy. Though Ragenfrid and Chilperic had begun with successes and Plectrude and Theudoald were removed early, Martel turned the tide of war and eventually forced the surrender of all his opponents.
5. Battle of Tours732 CE
   The Battle of Tours, also called the Battle of Poitiers and the Battle of the Highway of the Martyrs, was fought on 10 October 732, and was an important battle during the Umayyad invasion of Gaul. It resulted in victory for the Frankish and Aquitanian forces, led by Charles Martel, over the invading Umayyad forces, led by Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi, governor of al-Andalus. Many historians, including Edward Gibbon, have credited the Christian victory as an important factor in curtailing the spread of Islam in Western Europe.
6. Battle of the Boarn734 CE
   The Battle of the Boarn or Battle by Jirnsum was an 8th century battle between the Franks and the Frisians near the mouth of the river Boarn in what is now Jirnsum in the Dutch province of Friesland.
7. Battle of Narbonne737 CE
   The siege of Narbonne was fought in 737 between the Arab and Berber Muslim forces of Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri, Arab Umayyad Muslim governor of Septimania on behalf of al-Andalus, and the Frankish Christian army led by the Carolingian duke Charles Martel.
8. Battle of the River Berre737 CE
   The Battle of the River Berre was fought in 737 between the Arab and Berber Muslim forces of Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri, Arab Umayyad Muslim governor of Septimania on behalf of al-Andalus, and the Frankish Christian army led by the Carolingian duke Charles Martel during the siege of Narbonne. The battle, which took place at the mouth of the River Berre, was a significant victory for Charles Martel in the military campaigns of 736–737. During this period, Martel effectively prevented greater Umayyad expansion beyond the Pyrenees.

Event data from Wikipedia/Wikidata (CC-BY-SA). Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected].