Charles Martel
686–741
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One year after his defeat at Cologne, Charles and his army returned and defeated the Neustrains in the decisive Battle of Vincy. He then set out to deal with Plectrude, the late Duke's wife and his original jailer. He took her city and dispersed her followers, but in a show of kindness rare in those times, he allowed her and her young son to live. Next, he turned his attention outward, focusing his campaigns on the dependent Germanic tribes until all of Germany was once more a part of the Frankish kingdom. During these campaigns, he also appointed new rulers, either boys too young to reign or weak men over whom he could assert his own decisions. Once his realm was secure, Charles began to train his men relentlessly as he prepared for an attack from the Islamic south. This attack came in 732, when a Muslim force from Cordoba beseiged Aquitaine and forced its duke, Odo, to seek Charles' aid. The resulting battle was the Battle of Tours, during which Charles was given the epithet "Martel" to denote the brutal way in which he hammered his enemies.
After his victory at Tours, Charles led his armies against the southern and eastern duchies of the Frankish kingdom. Wherever he won a battle, he reorganized the government and established himself as overlord. Then, in 737, the king of the Franks, Theudric IV, died, leading to a period during which no man was proclaimed ruler. During this time, of course, Charles continued to hold the real power, and only after his death was a new king chosen. These last four years were very peaceful, and by the time of his own death in 741, he was one of the most powerful military leaders in Europe.
Key events during the life of Charles Martel:
| Born the illegitimate son of Pepin II | |
| Imprisoned by Plectrude following the death of his father | |
| Escaped from prison during a Frankish civil war | |
| Lost the Battle of Cologne | |
| Defeated Neustrians in the Battle of Vincy | |
| Campaigns in Germany | |
| Battle of Tours | |
| Ruled de facto during a period of political unrest | |
| Offered the title of Consul but refused | |
| Died. |
Other Resources
| Moorish Invasion in | The Romance of Spanish History by John S.C. Abbott |
| Rise of the Franks in | Stories from German History by Florence Aston |
| The Conquest in | A Child's History of Spain by John Bonner |
| Merovings and Carlovings in | France: Peeps at History by John Finnemore |
| Saracens Checked in | The Story of Old France by H. A. Guerber |
| Charles Martel and Pepin in | Famous Men of the Middle Ages by John H. Haaren |
| Mayors of the Palace in | The Story of the Middle Ages by Samuel B. Harding |
| Spain Under the Moors in | Story of the Greatest Nations: Spain by Charles F. Horne |
| Sluggard Kings in | The Story of France by Mary Macgregor |
| Defeat of the Saracens—Rise of the Carolingians in | The Story of Europe by Henrietta Elizabeth Marshall |
| Charles Martel Repels the Mohammedans at Tours in | European Hero Stories by Eva March Tappan |
| Tours in | The Boy's Book of Battles by Eric Wood |
Image Links | ||
|---|---|---|
 Charles Martel at Tours in Famous Men of the Middle Ages |
 Charles Martel defeats the Moors in The Story of the Middle Ages |
 The Merovingian king deposed in The Story of the Middle Ages |
Charles martel in Back Matter |
Charles Martel at Tours in Back Matter |
Because of the heavy blows Duke Charles showered upon the saracens he was called Charles the Hammer in The Story of France |
 Charles Martel in the Battle of Tours in European Hero Stories |
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| Pepin the Short | King of the Franks. Son of Charles Martel. Father of Charlemagne. |
| St. Boniface | Sent as a Missionary to Frisia to convert Pagans. Cut down Thor's Oak tree. Martyred. |