Charles Martel

Charles Martel (c. 688 – 22 October 741), whose nickname "Martel" comes from an Old French word meaning "The Hammer," was a Frankish leader who wielded real power as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace. From 718 until his death, he was the effective ruler of the Franks. He was born to Pepin of Herstal, a Frankish statesman, and a noblewoman named Alpaida. Charles managed to secure his position as his father's successor, becoming the true authority behind the Frankish throne. He carried forward and expanded Pepin's efforts, reestablishing a strong central government in Francia and launching military campaigns that made the Franks the unquestioned rulers of all Gaul. A contemporary source, the *Liber Historiae Francorum*, described him as "a warrior who was uncommonly ... effective in battle."

Charles gained a victory over an Umayyad invasion of Aquitaine at the Battle of Tours, and he is widely seen as a key figure in limiting the spread of Islam in Western Europe. Beyond his military achievements, he is traditionally given credit for shaping the Frankish system of feudalism. Near the end of his life, Charles divided Francia between his sons, Carloman and Pepin. Pepin later became the first king of the Carolingian dynasty. Pepin's son Charlemagne, Charles's grandson, expanded the Frankish territories and became the first emperor in the West after the fall of the Western Roman Empire.

Charles, later nicknamed "Martel" ("the Hammer") in chronicles, was the son of Pepin of Herstal and Alpaida, who was either his mistress or possibly his second wife. He had a brother named Childebrand, who later became the Frankish duke of Burgundy. Charles was also a great-grandson of Arnulf of Metz. Older histories often label Charles as "illegitimate," but in 8th-century Francia, the distinction between wives and concubines was not clear. The claim of illegitimacy likely stems from Pepin's first wife, Plectrude, wanting her own children to inherit Pepin's position.

By Charles's time, the Merovingian kings had lost real power to the mayors of the palace, who controlled the royal treasury, handed out patronage, and granted land and privileges in the name of the figurehead king. Pepin of Herstal had united the Frankish realm by conquering Neustria and Burgundy. He was the first to call himself Duke and Prince of the Franks, a title Charles later adopted.

When Pepin died in December 714, he had, on Plectrude's advice, named his grandson Theudoald—the eight-year-old son of his murdered son Grimoald—as his sole heir. This angered the Austrasian nobles, who opposed a child ruler. To stop Charles from exploiting this unrest, Plectrude imprisoned him in Cologne, her intended capital. This prevented an uprising in Austrasia, but not in Neustria.

Pepin's death sparked open conflict between his heirs and Neustrian nobles who wanted independence from Austrasian control. In 715, King Dagobert III appointed Raganfrid as mayor of the palace over Neustria and Burgundy. On 26 September 715, Raganfrid's Neustrian forces defeated Theudoald's army at the Battle of Compiègne, and Theudoald fled to Cologne. Before the year ended, Charles escaped prison and was proclaimed mayor of the palace in Austrasia. Dagobert died in 715, and the Neustrians made Chilperic II, a cloistered son of Childeric II, their king.

In 716, Chilperic and Raganfrid marched into Austrasia to seize Pepin's wealth at Cologne. They allied with Radbod, King of the Frisians, and met Charles in battle near Cologne, which Plectrude still held. Charles had little time to gather men, and the result was a defeat—the only one of his career. Radbod held off Charles while Chilperic and Raganfrid besieged Plectrude, who bought them off with a large portion of Pepin's treasure. After that, they withdrew.

Charles retreated to the hills of the Eifel to gather and train men. In April 716, he ambushed the returning Neustrian army near Malmedy at the Battle of Amblève. He attacked while the enemy rested at midday. One source says he split his forces into several groups that attacked from multiple sides; another suggests he decided this was unnecessary given the enemy's unpreparedness. Either way, the sudden assault made the enemy think they faced a much larger force. Many fled, and Charles's men seized the camp's spoils. This victory greatly boosted his reputation and drew more followers. Historians often see this battle as the turning point in his struggle.

Up to this time, much of Charles's support likely came from his mother's relatives in the Liège area. After Amblève, he seems to have gained the backing of the influential missionary Willibrord, founder of the Abbey of Echternach. The abbey was built on land donated by Plectrude's mother Irmina of Oeren, but most of Willibrord's work had been in Frisia.