How was Charles Martel able to defeat the Islamic Moors who had invaded France?

Answer 1

Charles Martel made several key decisions which allowed him to effectively resist and defeat the Umayyad Cavalry that numbered twice his forces.

1) Choosing Forested Hills: Martel chose the field of battle, allowing him to make serious preparations. He also wisely chose a forested hill, since marching uphill and through a forest severely cuts down on the lethality of a cavalry charge and allowed Martel to hide his numbers.

2) Veteran Infantry: Martel was able to use veteran infantry who were able to march in phalanx formation and maintain this formation under cavalry attack. One of the things that greatly increases the deaths after a cavalry charge is when inexperienced pikemen or other infantry flee from an approaching cavalryman. However, because the veteran soldiers held their formation, they were able to kill many more of the Umayyad Cavalry.

3) Rumors of Booty Theft: Martel was able to spread a rumor in the Umayyad camp that Frankish raiders had stolen some of the booty that the Umayyads had taken after earlier battles in France (like Bordeaux). Many of the soldiers were more worried about their booty than actually fighting the Franks, leading to a large percentage of cavalrymen deserting the field of battle to protect their treasure.

4) Death of Enemy Commander: Martel's soldiers were able to kill Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi, the lead commander of the Umayyads, in the heat of battle, leading to further disorientation and withdrawal of the Umayyads.

Answer 2

Battle of Poitiers in October 732. Sometimes called the Battle of Tours - it actually happened about halfway between the 2 cities.

Answer 3

He defeated the Muslims at the Battle of Tours.

Answer 4

Charles Martel beat the Muslims at the Battle of Tours in what was Tours, France.

Answer 5

Charles Martel beat the Muslims at the Battle of Tours in what was Tours, France.

Answer 6

Battle of Tours, France, 732 C.E.