The Battle of Tours, the Battle of Syllaeum and the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople

The involvement of Tours, the fight of Syllaeum and the Second Arab siege of Constantinople were important meshs that averted the entry of Islam into Europe. Had these hostilities been lost to the Arabs, the act idea of European civilization would not exist. Islam and Islamic culture would be the dominant religion and mood of life in Europe (both eastern and Western Europe) and the States. The Battle of Tours (also cognise as the Battle of Poitiers) is considered as one of the most decisive battles in history.On October 10, 732, the Frankish army under Charles Martel defeated the forces of Spanish g all oernor Abd-er Rahman away(p) the city of Tours (Koeller, n. pag. ). The Battle of Tours was express to have retained Christian predominance over Western Europe by preventing the expansion of Islam in the said region (Culp, n. pag. ). By the 7th century, Islam was the most dominant religion in the Arabian Peninsula. During this period, Islamic armies had already conquered Pe rsia, Syria, Egypt and North Africa and were about to occupy Constantinople and Spain.At the opening of the 8th century, they had sca lead the Pyrenees Mountains and were on the verge of entering France (Whittington, n. pag. ). The Septimania region of Confederate France fell to the Moors in 719. Under the leadership of Al-Samh ibn Malik, they invaded the town of Toulouse in the dukedom of Aquitaine devil years later. However, Al-Samh was defeated by Duke Odo of Aquitaine and eventually died of war injuries at Narbonne (Whittington, n. pag. ). Al-Samhs loss and demise did not stop Arab raids in France.Islamic forces reached the town of Atun in Burgundy in 725, forcing Duke Odo to align himself with Catalonian Emir Uthman ibn Naissa to maintain peace in the southerly border of Aquitaine. But Uthman staged an unsucessful revolt against Al-Andalus governor Abd er Rahman, proffer the latter to go after Duke Odo in retalliation (Whittington, n. pag. ). Abd-er Rahman defeated Duke Odo at the Battle of Bordeaux, resulting in the mass killing of Christians in the area. Desperate, Duke Odo sought the help of Austrasian mayor-of-the-Palace Charles Martel. Martel hold to help him, provided that he will bow down to Frankish retrieve (Whittington, n.pag. ). Martel and his army waited for Rahmans forces to arrive at Tours (Whittington, n. pag. ). Despite being composed of precisely 30,000 men, the Franks were well-armed they had swords, axes, javelins and a small throwing ax called the fran-cisca (Wallechinsky & Wallace, n. pag. ). In addition, they knew the terrain very well and were decent outfitted for the bitterly cold weather. On the other hand, Rahmans 80,000-strong army were weaponed with just light cavalry spears and swords (Whittington, n. pag. ). The two forces only had minor encounters for seven-spot days (Whittington, n. pag. ).Then, on October 10, 732, the Arabs round outed the Franks. Due to their superior artillery, the Franks easily fended off the Arabs charge. The Arabs time-tested to attack repeatedly, to no avail (Wallechinsky & Wallace, n. pag. ). The Franks struck back as curtly as the Arabs stamina waned. They triumphantly defeated the Arabs and had Rahman captured and killed. The undermentioned morning, the Franks discovered that the Arabs had fled, loss behind their plunder and their dead (Wallechinsky & Wallace, n. pag. ). Martels victory in the Battle of Tours gained him the appellation The Hammer. In addition, France never experienced another Arab invasion.On the side of the Arabs, their defeat in the Battle of Tours severely destroyed their unity a revolt by the Berbers (inhabitants of North Africa) ensued after Rahmans passing (Wallechinsky & Wallace, n. pag. ). Martel went on to crush Arab conquests at the River Berre and Narbonne. He also fought in Frankish expansion wars in Bavaria, Aquitaine, Provence and Alemannia. Martels sons Carloman, Pippin the Younger and Grifo took over his territories after his death in 741. Pippin became the king of the Franks, while his son, Charlemagne, became the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.However, it must be noted that two more than generations passed before the Franks finally suceeded in driving the Muslims back beyond the Pyrenees for veracious (Whittington, n. pag. ). Historians often claimed that Europe never faced another Islamic menace after the Battle of Tours (Whittington, n. pag. ). This is true to a certain extent the next Islamic threat that Europe faced after the Battle of Tours was the emergence of the Ottoman Empire (1299-1923). Furthermore, the Christians regained Spain from the Moors after the fall of Granada in 1492 (Whittington, n.pag. ). But the problematic empire (667 BC-1453) was also crucial for the presevation of Christian ascendancy through and throughout Europe. The Battle of Syllaeum (677) and the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople (717-718) were two important wars that averted the spread of Islam in Eastern Europe (Reference, n. pag. ). The Arab fleet and the convoluted navy were constantly in battle with each other since 672 (Reference, n. pag. ). In 677, the Arabs attacked areas along the coast of Anatolia and the Sea of Marmara, as well as Constantinople and Anatolia itself.The knotted army found themselves fighting two different battles, as the Slavs were staging an assault of Thessalonica by land (Reference, n. pag. ). knotted forces under Emperor Constantine IV met the Arabs near Syllaeum (Reference, n. pag. ). They defeated the latter through classic fire, a burning-liquid weaponthat could continue burning even on water (Reference, n. pag. ). As the Arabs were retreating, a storm sank almost all of their stay ships. The Byzantine army then proceeded to conduct a land assault on the Arabs, finally defeating them in Syria.The Battle of Syllaeum was believed to have brought peace over Eastern Europe for almost 30 years (Reference, n. pag. ). But Constantine IVs death in 685 was followed with power struggles for the Byzantine throne, making the Byzantine Empire more prone to defeat in the hands of the Arabs (Gregory, n. pag. ). kalif Sulieman took advantage of this situation by sending 120,000 Muslim march (headed by his brother Moslemah) in 717 in an attempt to occupy Constantinople for a arcsecond time (TheLatinLibrary, n. pag. ). An additional 100,000 Muslims with 1,800 galleys from Syria and Egypt served as reinforcements (TheLatinLibrary, n.pag. ). But Byzantine forces led by Emperor Leo III quickly defeated them through the Greek fire (TheLatinLibrary, n. pag. ). The vanquished Muslims later died of freezing and starvation outside Constantinople. Muslim troops from Adrianopolis that were supposed to assist them were destroyed by the Bulgarian army (a Byzantine ally) (TheLatinLibrary, n. pag. ). Several historians argued that had the Arabs won the Battle of Tours, the Battle of Syllaeum and the Second Arab Siege of Constantinople, the prese nt concept of European civilization would be altered dramatically.The Arabs would be able-bodied to spread Islam throughout European countries such as France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom. At most, Christianity would end up being a minority religion (Whittington, n. pag. ). America would have been discovered by a Muslim explorer and Islam would be the religion both taught and practiced by the settlers across the United States. whole kit and caboodle Cited Culp, Reid. The Battle of Tours. 2008. CCDS. 28 April 2008 . Gregory, Timothy E.Leo III and the Beginnings of Iconoclasm. 19 November 2001. A Chronology of Early Byzantine History. 3 May 2008 . Koeller, David W. The Battle of Tours 732. 1999. WebChron. 28 April 2008 . Wallechinsky, David, and Irving Wallace. approximately the Battle of Tours in 732 between the Arab Army and the French Army led by Charles. 1981. Trivia-Library. 28 April 2008 . Whittington, Mark.Day of Decision The Battle of Tours. 8 declination 20 05. Associated Content. 28 April 2008 . Battle of Syllaeum. 17 December 2007. Reference. com. 3 May 2008 . Greek Fire. 10 March 2008. Reference. com. 3 May 2008 . Islam and Europe Timeline (355-1291 AD). n. d. TheLatinLibrary. 3 May 2008 .