Charles Martel
Frankish military and political leader (c. 688-741) · Politicians · Died at 53
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Something wrong?He held no crown but ran an entire kingdom, earned a nickname that meant "The Hammer," and in 732 stopped an Umayyad army at Tours - a battle still invoked whenever someone wants to talk about Islam's high-water mark in Europe.
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Charles Martel 01
732 Charles-Martel à la bataille de Poitiers
A Short History of the World, p0268
Area more or less under Frankish dominion in the time of Charles Martel, H. G. Wells' Outline of History, page 327.jpg?width=1200)
Bataille de Charles Martel - enluminure - Maître de Marguerite d'Orléans - btv1b10511154x (1 of 2).jpg?width=1200)
Bataille de Charles Martel - enluminure - Maître de Marguerite d'Orléans - btv1b10511154x (2 of 2).jpg?width=1200)
Bataille de Poitiers - enluminure - Maître de Marguerite d'Orléans - btv1b105111739 (1 of 2).jpg?width=1200)
Bataille de Poitiers - enluminure - Maître de Marguerite d'Orléans - btv1b105111739 (2 of 2)Family
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Charles Martel was born around 688, son of Frankish statesman Pepin of Herstal and a noblewoman named Alpaida. He fought his way to power as Mayor of the Palace and de facto ruler of the Franks from 718, restoring centralized government and launching campaigns that made the Franks undisputed masters of Gaul. The Liber Historiae Francorum called him "uncommonly effective in battle." His victory over the Umayyad invasion at Tours became his legacy's anchor point, credited with curtailing Islam's spread into Western Europe. He's also tied to the rise of Frankish feudalism. When he died in 741, he split Francia between his sons Carloman and Pepin; Pepin became the first Carolingian king, and Pepin's son Charlemagne - Charles's grandson - built an empire.
Politicians born in the 680s 6
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