Page "Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi" Paragraph 6

Abdul Rahman was killed in this battle.

One reason for the defeat of the Muslim army was their preoccupation with war booty ; another was the squabbles between various ethnic and tribal factions, which led to the surviving generals being unable to agree on a single commander to take the Abdul Rahman's place, ( he alone had a Fatwa from the Caliph, and thus absolute authority over the faithful under arms ).

Political factions, racial and ethnic rivalries, and personality clashes arose following his death.

The varied nationalities and ethnicities present in an army drawn from all over the Caliphate, and the surviving generals, bickered among themselves, unable to agree on a commander to lead them the following day.

The inability to select anyone to lead certainly contributed to the wholesale retreat of an army that possibly could have defeated the Franks.

Additional reasons for the defeat were found in the strategy employed by Charles Martel.

He trained his men specifically to fight in a large square, similar to the ancient Greek phalanx formation, to withstand the dreaded Muslim heavy cavalry.

The Frankish leader chose the battlefield.

Moving his army over the mountains and avoiding the open roads, he escaped detection until positioning his men on a high, wooded plain.

For seven days, the two armies skirmished and maneuvered, with the Islamic forces recalling all their raiding parties, so that on the seventh day, their army was at full strength.

Martel also received some reinforcements, though most historians agree he was badly outnumbered during the battle.

The Franks held their defensive formation all day, and repulsed repeated charges by the Muslim heavy cavalry.

Martel had carefully chosen the battlefield, in large part knowing the hills and trees surrounding his position would greatly hinder the Muslim cavalry.

Late on the day of battle, according to most sources, Martel also sent scouts to slip into Abdul Rahman's camp to free the slaves and prisoners being held there.

Realizing their camp was being plundered, a large contingent of Abdul Rahman's forces broke off battle and returned to rescue their booty.

Abdul Rahman was thus left exposed before the Frankish infantry and was killed while attempting to rally his men.