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Battle of poitiers
Battle of Poitiers: A Broken European Dream

ancestors

Conquering Iberian Peninsula: In 7 1 1 AD, Arab troops crossed the Strait of Gibraltar under the command of Musa Ibn Nusser, and formally launched a war of conquest in Iberian Peninsula. In 732 AD, abdul rahman Galffy, the Spanish governor of the Arab Empire, attacked Gaul on a large scale and fought fiercely with Charles Martel, the court minister of the Frankish Kingdom, in poitiers.

The Battle of Poitiers had a far-reaching impact on European history, and even some western historians thought it was one of the decisive battles to change world history. The decisive significance of this campaign is that Arabs stopped at Iberian Peninsula and failed to enter the wider European continent, so the Christian faith in Europe was preserved.

Twenty-one years before the Battle of Poitiers, the Arab Empire conquered the Iberian Peninsula and established Andalusia Province here, but the Arabs were not satisfied. Moussa, the first Arab commander to enter Europe, even planned to lead his troops across Europe, defeat the Byzantine Empire and then return to Damascus.

The more realistic goal is to plunder the wealth of Europe. There are many magnificent churches in the Frankish kingdom, which are very attractive to Arabs. Coupled with the infighting in the Frankish kingdom at that time, the plan to March into Gaul was quickly put into action. The Governor of Andalusia, Ambassa, led an army to invade present-day southern France and looted local churches and monasteries. When attacking Toulouse, the ambassador's army met with stubborn resistance from the Oder River, Duke of Aquitaine. The ambassador himself was killed and the Arab army was forced to return to Spain.

One of the main reasons for Ambassa's defeat is internal instability. The troops of the Arab Empire stationed in Europe are mainly composed of Arabs and Berbers from North Africa, and Berbers are the majority. Berbers are often discriminated against by Arabs, and most of them are naturally dissatisfied. The leader of the Berbers, Osman ibn Abi Nisa, colluded with the Duke of Oder and even married the daughter of Oder after the war. Internal centrifugal separation from Germany, of course, this battle can not be won.

Abdul rahman, governor of Andalusia, first set out to solve the problem of Berbers. Abdul rahman issued a decree stipulating that Berbers and Arabs enjoy equal status, which can be regarded as easing the contradiction between the two sides. Next, abdul rahman led an army to crusade against the disloyal Osman and defeated him in one fell swoop. Osman narrowly escaped and went to find his father-in-law, the Duke of Oder.

Duke Odd was busy at that time. His alliance with Berbers aroused the dissatisfaction of Charles Martel, the court minister of the Frankish Kingdom. As a result, the Frankish army launched an attack on the Oder River, which made the Oder River unable to fight back and seriously weakened its strength. After abdul rahman defeated Osman, he went all the way to the Duke of Oder. The Duke of Oder knew that he couldn't beat the Arabs anyway, so he had to turn to Charles Martel who had just defeated him for help. The Duke of Oder believes that Charles Martel will not sit idly by and watch himself be wiped out by pagans.

Charles Martel did send troops to help, but it was too late. When the Frankish army set out, abdul rahman had already defeated the Duke of Oder, and further captured Bordeaux and burned the St. Illery Church in poitiers. After occupying poitiers, abdul rahman targeted Tours, because there is St Martin's Cathedral, which is the religious center of the Frankish Kingdom. Charles Martel will certainly not tolerate Tours falling into enemy hands, and his army finally stopped the Arabs between poitiers and Tours.

In the first stage of the battle, both sides only made tentative attacks. After several rounds of temptation, abdul rahman lost his temper and commanded the Arab cavalry to launch an all-out attack. Frank's soldiers stood side by side in a phalanx. The Arab army is a light cavalry, and it is impossible to penetrate the enemy lines. After a day of fierce fighting, they suffered heavy casualties, and even abdul rahman was killed.

The Arab army that lost its commander-in-chief left the battlefield overnight. Charles Martel won the battle of Poitiers. Since then, the Arab Empire has been unable to launch an effective offensive in Western Europe, and its expansion has also stopped at Iberian Peninsula.

result

Berber Uprising: In 74 1 AD, Berber Uprising took place in North Africa, and the Arab Empire had to send troops to suppress it, thus relaxing its military action against Europe.

Conclusion: After poitiers War, the expansion of the Arab Empire in Western Europe came to a standstill. After that, the Arab Empire launched attacks for centuries, but poitiers's occupation remained the most threatening one.