Pepin died in 714 A.D., and his son Charles, who was twenty-five
years old at that time, succeeded him as mayor of the palace. This
Charles is known in history as Charles Martel. He was a brave young
man. He had fought in many of his father's battles and so had become
a skilled soldier. His men were devoted to him.
While he was mayor of the palace he led armies in several wars
against the enemies of the Franks. The most important of his wars
was one with the Saracens, who came across the Pyrenees from Spain and
invaded the land of the Franks, intending to establish Mohammedanism
there. Their army was led by Abd-er-Rah'man, the Saracen governor
of Spain.
[Illustration: CHARLES MARTEL AT TOURS]
On his march through the southern districts of the land of the
Franks Abd-er-Rahman destroyed many towns and villages, killed a
number of the people, and seized all the property he could carry
off. He plundered the city of Bordeaux (_bor-do'_), and, it is
said, obtained so many valuable things that every soldier "was
loaded with golden vases and cups and emeralds and other precious
stones."
But meanwhile Charles Martel was not idle. As quickly as he could
he got together a great army of Franks and Germans and marched
against the Saracens. The two armies met between the cities of
Tours and Poitiers (_pwaw-te-ay_) in October, 732. For six days
there was nothing but an occasional skirmish between small parties
from both sides; but on the seventh day a great battle took place.
Both Christians and Mohammedans fought with terrible earnestness.
The fight went on all day, and the field was covered with the bodies
of the slain. But towards evening, during a resolute charge made by
the Franks, Abd-er-Rahman was killed. Then the Saracens gradually
retired to their camp.
It was not yet known, however, which side had won; and the Franks
expected that the fight would be renewed in the morning.
But when Charles Martel, with his Christian warriors, appeared on
the field at sunrise there was no enemy to fight. The Mohammedans
had fled in the silence and darkness of the night and had left
behind them all their valuable spoils. There was now no doubt which
side had won.
The battle of Tours, or Poitiers, as it should be called, is regarded
as one of the decisive battles of the world. It decided that Christians,
and not Moslems, should be the ruling power in Europe.
Charles Martel is especially celebrated as the hero of this battle.
It is said that the name _Martel_ was given to him because of his
bravery during the fight. Marteau (_mar-to'_) is the French word
for hammer, and one of the old French historians says that as a
hammer breaks and crushes iron and steel, so Charles broke and
crushed the power of his enemies in the battle of Tours.
But though the Saracens fled from the battlefield of Tours, they
did not leave the land of the Franks; and Charles had to fight
other battles with them, before they were finally defeated. At
last, however, he drove them across the Pyrenees, and they never
again attempted to invade Frankland.
After his defeat of the Saracens Charles Martel was looked upon as
the great champion of Christianity; and to the day of his death,
in 741, he was in reality, though not in name, the king of the
Franks.