King of France Charles Martel

King of France Charles Martel

Male 676 - 741  (65 years)

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  • Name Charles Martel  [1, 2, 3
    Title King of France 
    Birth 23 Aug 676  Herstal, Liege, Belgium Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2, 3
    • (Heristal, formerly Neustria or Austrasia)
    Gender Male 
    Notable Quote Gibbon called him "the hero of the age" and declared "Christendom ... delivered ... by the genius and good fortune of one man, Charles Martel."  [3, 4
    Name the Hammer  [3, 4
    Occupation Duke and Prince of the Franks 
    Occupation Mayor of the Palace  [3
    Religion 732 
    Martel took church land to pay for a professional army. Charles, who in 732 was on the verge of excommunication, instead was recognized by the Church as its paramount defender. Pope Gregory II wrote to him more than once, asking his protection and aid 
    _MILT 732  [3, 4
    Charles Martel is primarily famous for his victory at the Battle of Tours, his stopping the Umayyad invasions of Europe during the Muslim Expansion Era, and his laying the foundation for the Carolingian Empire. 
    Battle of Tours
    Battle of Tours
    Death 22 Oct 741  Quierzy, Aisne, Picardie, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2, 3
    Burial Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [2, 3
    Person ID I10252  A Tree Called Smith
    Last Modified 2 Mar 2023 

    Father Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia - Duke and Prince of the Franks Pepin d'Heristal,   b. Abt 635, Herstal, Liege, Belgium Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 22 Oct 741, Meuse, Lorraine, France Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 106 years) 
    Relationship natural 
    Mother Chalpaida Alpaida,   b. Abt 654, Herstal, Liege, Belgium Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Abt 691, Vosges, Lorraine, France Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 37 years) 
    Relationship natural 
    Family ID F3697  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Duchess of Austrasia Rotrude DeTrêves de Thurgovie,   b. 5 Jul 690, Tréves, Gard, Languedoc-Roussillon, France Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 12 Jul 734, Aisne, Picardie, France Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 44 years) 
    Marriage 713  Moselle, Lorraine, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 3
    Children 
     1. Landrade Martel,   b. Abt 700, Moselle, Lorraine, France Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Aft 719, Lorraine, France Find all individuals with events at this location (Age > 20 years)  [natural]
     2. Hiltrude Martel,   b. Aft 710   d. 754 (Age < 42 years)  [natural]
     3. Holy Roman Emperor Pepin Martel, III,   b. 714, Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 24 Sep 768, St Denis, Cher, Centre, France Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 54 years)  [natural]
     4. Mayor of the Palace Carloman Martel,   b. 712   d. 17 Aug 754, Cassino, Frosinone, Lazio, Italy Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 42 years)  [natural]
     5. Auda 'Aldana' Martel,   b. 732, Saxony, Germany Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 804, France Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 72 years)  [natural]
    Family ID F3626  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 2 Mar 2023 

    Family 2 Ruodhaid 
    Relationship Abt 720  [3
    (never married) 
    Children 
     1. Bernard Martel,   b. 720  [natural]
     2. Hieronymus Martel  [natural]
     3. Archbishop of Rouen Saint Remigius Martel   d. 771  [natural]
    Family ID F3627  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 2 Mar 2023 

    Family 3 Swanhild 
    Marriage 725  [3
    • Charles Martel brought her back from his first campaign in Bavaria
    Children 
     1. Grifo Martel   d. 753, Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France Find all individuals with events at this location  [natural]
    Family ID F3628  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 2 Mar 2023 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 23 Aug 676 - Herstal, Liege, Belgium Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 713 - Moselle, Lorraine, France Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 22 Oct 741 - Quierzy, Aisne, Picardie, France Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Seine-Saint-Denis, Île-de-France, France Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Places
    Battle of Tours
    Battle of Tours

  • Sources 
    1. [S4] Ancestry Family Trees, (Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.;), Database online.

    2. [S189] Ancestry.com, Global, Find A Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current, (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;).

    3. [S283] Wikipedia: Charles Martel, Charles Martel.
      Charles Martel (c. 688[2] – 22 October 741) was a Frankish statesman and military leader who as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death.[3][4][5] The 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 the series of military campaigns that re-established the Franks as the undisputed masters of all Gaul.
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Martel

    4. [S920] Military History, Charles Martel and the Muslim Invasion.
      Battle of Tours
      In 721, the Umayyads first came north and were defeated by Odo at the Battle of Toulouse. Having assessed the situation in Iberia and the Umayyad attack on Aquitaine, Charles came to believe that a professional army, rather than raw conscripts, was needed to defend the realm from invasion. To raise the money necessary to build and train an army that could withstand the Muslim horsemen, Charles began seizing Church lands, earning the ire of the religious community. In 732, the Umayyads moved north again led by Emir Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi. Commanding approximately 80,000 men, he plundered Aquitaine.
      As Abdul Rahman sacked Aquitaine, Odo fled north to seek aid from Charles. This was granted in exchange for Odo recognizing Charles as his overlord. Mobilizing his army, Charles moved to intercept the Umayyads. In order to avoid detection and allow Charles to select the battlefield, the approximately 30,000 Frankish troops moved over secondary roads toward the town of Tours. For the battle, Charles selected a high, wooded plain which would force the Umayyad cavalry to charge uphill. Forming a large square, his men surprised Abdul Rahman, forcing the Umayyad emir to pause for a week to consider his options.
      On the seventh day, after gathering all of his forces, Abdul Rahman attacked with his Berber and Arab cavalry. In one of the few instances where medieval infantry stood up to cavalry, Charles' troops defeated repeated Umayyad attacks. As the battle raged, the Umayyads finally broke through the Frankish lines and attempted to kill Charles. He was promptly surrounded by his personal guard who repulsed the attack. As this was occurring, scouts that Charles had sent out earlier were infiltrating the Umayyad camp and freeing prisoners.
      Believing that the plunder of the campaign was being stolen, a large part of the Umayyad army broke off the battle and raced to protect their camp. While attempting to stop the apparent retreat, Abdul Rahman was surrounded and killed by Frankish troops. Briefly pursued by the Franks, the Umayyad withdrawal turned into a full retreat. Charles reformed his troops expecting another attack, but to his surprise it never came as the Umayyads continued their retreat all the way to Iberia. Charles' victory at the Battle of Tours was later credited for saving Western Europe from the Muslim invasions and was a turning point in European history.
      https://www.thoughtco.com/muslim-invasions-charles-martel-2360687