Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Charles Martel

Another great defender of Christian Western civilization was the grandfather of Charlemagne the famous Charles Martel who defeated the Moslems in 732 in the Battle of Tours also called the Battle of Poitiers, which at least really happened.

This painting depicting the battle is by the French artist Charles Auguste de Steuben (1788-1856). It’s full of symbols. There is the cross, which has to be defended, there is the valiant Charles Martel with his impressive battle axe, and there is the old Abdul Rahman, who probably stayed in Spain. Abdul Rahman is fighting with a so called "falcate" a typical Pre-Roman Spanish sword. Probably the artist saw it in a Spanish museum and took it for typically Arab.

6 comments:

  1. whats that random chick doing in the middle of the battle?

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  2. She's a helpless French maiden enslaved by the cruel Arabs. But now she's freed by the brave knight.
    So probably she stands for France as an allegory.

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  3. what's the name of the Painting, just Charles Martel?

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  4. In the Wkipedia it's called "Bataille de Poitiers en Octobre 732".

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  5. if not for this battle, we would all be eating dates and marrying our first cousins.. thank you Charles Martel.

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