The Battle of Tours

In Our Time: History

BBC

History

4.4 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 16 January 2014

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Battle of Tours. In 732 a large Arab army invaded Gaul from northern Spain, and travelled as far north as Poitiers. There they were defeated by Charles Martel, whose Frankish and Burgundian forces repelled the invaders. The result confirmed the regional supremacy of Charles, who went on to establish a strong Frankish dynasty. The Battle of Tours was the last major incursion of Muslim armies into northern Europe; some historians, including Edward Gibbon, have seen it as the decisive moment that determined that the continent would remain Christian. With: Hugh Kennedy Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London Rosamond McKitterick Professor of Medieval History at the University of Cambridge Matthew Innes Vice-Master and Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Thank you for downloading this episode of In Our Time, for more details about In Our Time,
0:04.3	and for our terms of use, please go to bbc.co.uk slash radio for.
0:09.1	I hope you enjoy the program.
0:11.8	Hello, in the first half of the eighth century, an army from Arab Spain invaded Gaul
0:16.6	and reached his final thos Pache in central France.
0:19.8	Someone here there, they were met by forces commanded by the Frankish leader Charles Martel,
0:24.5	the Arabs lost the ensuing battle and retreated, never to return.
0:29.1	We don't know precisely when this battle took place, although it's generally believed
0:32.7	that it happened sometime in 732.
0:35.0	Even its location is a mystery, and while some historians call it the Battle of Tour,
0:39.0	to others, it's known as the Battle of Fouatier.
0:41.7	The 18th century historian Edward Gibbon believed this battle between Christians and Muslims
0:46.4	was one of the turning points of European history.
0:48.7	He suggested that if the Franks had lost, the Arab armies would have taken over the entire continent.
0:53.6	Perhaps he wrote,
0:54.8	the interpretation of the Quran would now be taught in the schools of Oxford,
0:58.5	and her pulpits might demonstrate to a circumcised people the sanctity and truth of the revelation of
1:04.2	Muhammad. But it was the Battle of Tour really such a watershed, and what effect it did have
1:10.4	on the future of France and Europe as a whole.
1:12.4	It would mean to discuss the Battle of Tour our Hugh Kennedy,
1:15.0	Professor of Arabic at Sirus, University of London,
1:18.0	Rosamund McKittrick, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Cambridge,
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.