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INTRODUCTION



Friedrich Nietzsche, the Nihilist philosopher of “God is dead!” fame, lamented cynically, that one of the most regrettable episodes in history must surely have been the defeat of the Moors at Tours. Should the Moors have been victorious, it is no doubt probable that Europe today would be predominantly Muslim.

Furthermore is the unpalatable thought that the world’s population would most likely be adherents of Islam, should the Christians have failed at Tours. Nietzsche, of course, felt that Christianity was the most baneful thought to have ever infected the progress of humankind. His reasons aside, there is a certain significance to his remark. The Battle of Tours was a pivotal moment in history. Not only was it an event which preserved the institution of Christianity in the West (as minarets instead of spires would line the horizon in Europe if the outcome had been different), but the events surrounding the battle shaped the relationship between and the infrastructure of the church and state of Mediaeval Europe.

Indeed, the lingering culture of Western Europe with its chivalry, feudalism, religiosity, etc.; is very much a product of the events which resulted from the Battle of Tours. This writer is not suggesting that every subsequent event was directly or indirectly affected by the Battle of Tours to such an intense degree that its legacy is placed on the same pedestal as that of the Resurrection; but it is acknowledged that every event in history has its providential place and without them the course of history would change. What the writer is suggesting is that the Battle of Tours was unique in that it was influential to the development of the Mediaeval church and state in Western Europe.

This research paper aims to report the circumstances surrounding the Battle of Tours, its outcome in the Carolingian rise to power, and their influence on the Mediaeval...