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History => Ancient and Medieval History => Ancient & Medieval Battles => Topic started by: Erpingham on October 31, 2023, 12:53:50 PM

Title: Tours 732 AD
Post by: Erpingham on October 31, 2023, 12:53:50 PM
Not in the usual format, but here (https://salutemmundo.files.wordpress.com/2023/10/the-major-sources-for-the-battle-of-tours.pdf) is a collection of the main sources for the battle.

This is a battle about which a great mythology has evolved and great theories of the rise of Western chivalry have featured it, so it's interesting to see how thin and contradictory the evidence is.
Title: Re: Tours 732 AD
Post by: Imperial Dave on October 31, 2023, 06:12:48 PM
More a skirmish than a big battle.....?
Title: Re: Tours 732 AD
Post by: Nick Harbud on November 01, 2023, 08:57:20 AM
I thought Anthony was posting about something to do on one's holidays....  :-[
Title: Re: Tours 732 AD
Post by: Ian61 on November 01, 2023, 09:59:22 AM
Quote from: Nick Harbud on November 01, 2023, 08:57:20 AMI thought Anthony was posting about something to do on one's holidays....  :-[


More like a day trip gone wrong!
Title: Re: Tours 732 AD
Post by: Erpingham on November 01, 2023, 10:09:45 AM
Quote from: Imperial Dave on October 31, 2023, 06:12:48 PMMore a skirmish than a big battle.....?

Depends a bit whether we are just talking size or also intensity of action and strategic result.
Title: Re: Tours 732 AD
Post by: Imperial Dave on November 01, 2023, 11:57:49 AM
He's not that old  :)
Title: Re: Tours 732 AD
Post by: Duncan Head on November 01, 2023, 12:06:40 PM
Quote from: Imperial Dave on October 31, 2023, 06:12:48 PMMore a skirmish than a big battle.....?
One of the points made on the blog page discussion is that none of the sources give us any real impression of the army sizes involved. So whatever your threshold for "skirmish", I think the answer is "we don't know". 
Title: Re: Tours 732 AD
Post by: Imperial Dave on November 01, 2023, 02:09:09 PM
thanks Duncan. Cant for the life of me remember where I read it ages ago but one commentator (modern) claimed it was more likely an opportune large skirmish that defined strategic limitations of the Muslim forces push into Europe
Title: Re: Tours 732 AD
Post by: Nick Harbud on November 02, 2023, 12:02:45 PM
The same sort of wargaming model that defined the American Civil War then - two armed mobs chasing each other around the countryside?

 ???
Title: Re: Tours 732 AD
Post by: Imperial Dave on November 02, 2023, 12:56:12 PM
works for me  ;D