Battle of Toulouse (721)

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Battle of Toulouse
date July 9, 721
place Toulouse
Exit Franconian victory
Parties to the conflict

Francs

Umayyads

Commander

Eudo of Aquitaine

As-Samh ibn Malik al-Chawlani †

Troop strength
unknown several thousand
losses

unknown

approx. 3750

Islamic expansion in the west

In the battle of Toulouse on July 9, 721, the Franks defeated an army of the Saracens under the command of Eudo , Duke of Aquitaine . Their leader as-Samh ibn Malik al-Chawlani , the governor of Al-Andalus , was killed.

prehistory

After the Saracens conquered the Iberian kingdom of the Visigoths , they began to expand their military operations to southeastern France. The governor as-Samh ibn Malik al-Chawlani fell in 719 with an army of several thousand men in Septimania and conquered among others, the port city of Narbonne .

The Eudo of Aquitaine, who was responsible for this part of the border, did not have the necessary troops to fight the invaders, as the best warriors from Austrasia were bound in a military conflict with the Saxons under the command of the house merchant Karl Martell . Eudo was therefore forced to call on soldiers from all over the Franconian Empire to help. His army finally consisted of soldiers from Burgundy , Neustria , Aquitaine and the Basque Country .

battle

Now that he was at the head of a large army, Eudo was able to counterattack and rush to the aid of the besieged city of Toulouse. On July 9, 721, the two armies met in front of Toulouse. The Franks took advantage of the surprise effect and attacked the Saracens with their cavalry on their flank. The fighting resulted in a complete defeat for the Saracens. The surviving Arabs were followed for several kilometers. As-Samh ibn Malik al-Chawlani was killed during the battle. Contemporary sources speak of 3,750 Saracens killed.

consequences

Before Karl Martell's victory in Poitiers , Eudo had already succeeded in slowing the advance of the Arabs into the Frankish empire. For the Arab chroniclers, this defeat was worse than that of Poitiers.

In 1874 a horse and a rider were found during excavations, which confirmed the existence of this battle.

literature

  • Antonio Santosuosso: Barbarians, Marauders, and Infidels. The Ways of Medieval Warfare. Westview Press, Boulder CO et al. 2004, ISBN 0-8133-9153-9 .