Battle of Poitiers (Tours)

The Battle of Poitiers, known in Arabic as Balat al-Shuhada (Plain of the Martyrs), halted the northward expansion of Muslim forces into the Frankish heartland. Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi, the governor of Al-Andalus, led a large raiding expedition deep into Francia, sacking cities including Bordeaux. Near Poitiers, the Muslim cavalry force met the Frankish infantry army of Charles Martel after seven days of skirmishing. The Muslim cavalry failed to break the Frankish shield wall, and when a feint or genuine retreat began toward their camp to protect captured goods, much of the army disengaged. Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi was killed in the fighting. Muslim forces withdrew overnight and returned to Al-Andalus. The battle is often cited in Western historiography as having 'saved Christendom,' though historians debate the extent of what was intended — whether a conquest or an extended raid. Muslim power in the Iberian Peninsula remained intact and continued to flourish for centuries.