Charles Martel
Sign in to saveFrankish military and political leader (c. 688–741)
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Charles Martel was a powerful Frankish military and political leader who lived from around 688 to 741 and is most famous for his victory at the Battle of Tours in 732, which halted Muslim expansion into Western Europe. His military successes and political consolidation of power made him one of the most influential figures in early medieval Europe and paved the way for his descendants, the Carolingian dynasty, to eventually rule a vast empire.
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Person · Open Library
- Born
- 0688-08-23
- Died
- 1865
- Works
- 10
Top works
- On the materials used in painting
- Contribution à l'étude de l'hystérie toxique
- De la phlébite dans le cours du rhumatisme blennorrhagique
- End of Days
- Principles of Harmony and Contrast of Colours, and Their Applications to the Arts
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Article
Charles Martel (/mɑːrˈtɛl/; c. 688 – 22 October 741), Martel being an Old French sobriquet meaning "The Hammer", was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of the Franks from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesman Pepin of Herstal and a noblewoman named Alpaida. Charles successfully asserted his claims to power as successor to his father as the power behind the throne in Frankish politics. Continuing and building on his father's work, he restored centralized government in Francia and began a series of military campaigns that re-established the Franks as the undisputed masters of all Gaul. According to the contemporary Liber Historiae Francorum, Charles was "a warrior who was uncommonly ... effective in battle".
Charles gained a victory against an Umayyad invasion of Aquitaine at the Battle of Tours, and Charles is credited as an important factor in curtailing the spread of Islam in Western Europe. Alongside his military endeavours, Charles has been traditionally credited with an influential role in the development of the Frankish system of feudalism.