Charles Martel Wins at Tours

In October 732, an armed clash unfolded between the cities of Poitiers and Tours in western Gaul. A northern force commanded by Charles Martel, the Frankish mayor of the palace, intercepted an expedition led by Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi, the Umayyad governor of al-Andalus. The engagement turned back a major Umayyad raid north of the Pyrenees and became one of the most debated encounters of early medieval European history.

Following their rapid conquest of the Visigothic kingdom after 711, Umayyad forces pushed northward into former Roman territories, raiding deep into Aquitaine and Burgundy. In 732, Abd al-Rahman advanced toward the Loire valley after routing the army of Duke Odo of Aquitaine near Bordeaux. Seeking protection, Odo appealed to Charles for military aid, formally agreeing to submit to Frankish authority in exchange for assistance against the advancing southern army.