Antonio Santosuosso (1936-12 July 2014) was a

Professor Emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

of History at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

Assessment of the
Battle of Tours The Battle of Tours, also called the Battle of Poitiers and, by Arab sources, the Battle of tiles of Martyrs ( ar, معركة بلاط الشهداء, Maʿrakat Balāṭ ash-Shuhadā'), was fought on 10 October 732, and was an important battle ...

In ''Barbarians, Marauders, and Infidels'', Santosuosso, considered an expert historian of the

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

era, makes a case that the defeats of invading Muslim armies by

Charles Martel Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesma ...

, including the famous defeat at Tours, were important as in their defense of Western

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

and the preservation of those Christian monasteries and centres of learning which ultimately led

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out of the Dark Ages. He also makes a case that while Tours was considered by western historians such as Creasy to be of macrohistorical importance, the later battles were more so. The later invading forces defeated in those campaigns had come to set up permanent outposts for expansion, and there can be no doubt that these three defeats combined broke the back of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

ic expansion in Europe while the

Caliphate A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

was still united. Further, Santosuosso dates the ties between the Papacy and the Carolingians to this period, and credits Charles Martel with beginning a much greater martial vigor in Christianity. Dr. Santosuosso in ''Barbarians, Marauders, and Infidels'' page 212 says "The stemming of the Muslim advance at Poitiers in 732 and the

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

kings' decision to become the champions of Papal claims against the

Longobards The Lombards () or Langobards ( la, Langobardi) were a Germanic people who ruled most of the Italian Peninsula from 568 to 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written between 787 and ...

in Italy strengthened the Christian acceptance of the idea of war."

Sources

*''Soldiers, Citizens, and the Symbols of War: From Classical Greece to Republican Rome, 500-167 B.C.'' (1997), *''Storming the Heavens: Soldiers, Emperors, and Civilians in the Roman Empire'' (2001), *''Barbarians, Marauders, and Infidels: The Ways of Medieval Warfare'' (2004), 1936 births 20th-century Canadian historians Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian medievalists University of Western Ontario faculty 2014 deaths 21st-century Canadian historians {{Canada-historian-stub

Assessment of the Battle of Tours The Battle of Tours, also called the Battle of Poitiers and, by Arab sources, the Battle of tiles of Martyrs ( ar, معركة بلاط الشهداء, Maʿrakat Balāṭ ash-Shuhadā'), was fought on 10 October 732, and was an important battle ...

Sources

Assessment of the
Battle of Tours The Battle of Tours, also called the Battle of Poitiers and, by Arab sources, the Battle of tiles of Martyrs ( ar, معركة بلاط الشهداء, Maʿrakat Balāṭ ash-Shuhadā'), was fought on 10 October 732, and was an important battle ...