In 717–718, Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, was besieged by the Muslim Arabs of the Umayyad Caliphate. The campaign marked the culmination of twenty years of attacks and progressi
The second Arab siege of Constantinople, as depicted in the 14th-century Bulgarian translation of the Manasses Chronicle
Gold solidus of Leo III
Photo of a restored section of the triple Theodosian Walls protecting Constantinople from its land side
Depiction of the use of Greek fire, miniature from the Madrid Skylitzes
Battle of Tours
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The Battle of Tours, also called the Battle of Poitiers and the Battle of the Highway of the Martyrs, was fought on 10 October 732, and was an important battle during the Umayyad invasion of Gaul. It
Siege of Constantinople (717–718)
…preserved the Empire as a bulwark against Islamic expansion into Europe until the 15th century, when it fell to the Ottoman Turks. Along with the Battle of Tours in 732, the successful defence of Constantinople has been seen as instrumental in stopping Muslim expansion into Europe. Historian Ekkehard Eickhoff…
Charles Martel at the Battle of Tours, depicted in the Grandes Chroniques de France
The Battle of Tours depicted in the Grandes Chroniques de France