Forgotten Christian Hero, Who is Known as the Savior of Europe

[pinochet]

Today, October 10, supporters of Christian Civilization celebrate the great victory attained by the Frenchman, Charles Martel, over a Muslim army that tried to conquer Christian France. The battle of Tours was concluded on October 10, 732, and Martel and the French people won a stunning military victory.

But, today, I want to focus on an equally great military hero, who made Charles Martel's victory possible. He is the Christian Emperor Tervel of the Bulgarian Empire, who inflicted the first major defeat on Muslim armies in Islamic history in the year 718, fourteen years before Charles Martel's victory in 732. For centuries, Tervel was known as the Savior of Europe, for preventing his Christian allies, the Byzantine Empire, from falling to Islam.

We needed some historical time-line. Arab Muslim armies were at their strongest in 711-718, when they invaded and conquered Christian Spain. Their next target was the richest nation in Europe, the Christian Byzantine Empire. The Muslims had an army of hundreds of thousands of men, and a navy of 2,500 battleships, and these forces laid siege to Constantinople. The Byzantine emperor, Leo III, appealed to Bulgaria for help, based on a mutual defense treaty. Emperor Tervel sent his army, and it inflicted a crushing defeat of the Muslim army in 718. All of Christian Europe cheered, and Tervel was hailed as the Savior of Europe. It was the first big defeat that Arab Muslims encountered in their history.

The Muslim armies were severely weakened by the defeat that Tervel inflicted on them. Fourteen years later, in 732, when the Muslim armies faced Charles Martel, they were in a weaker state, because they had not recovered from the crushing defeat that they suffered from Tervel.

[pinochet]

Constantinople was lost to the Christian world in 1453. But that does not diminish Tervel's great contribution to Western civilization. By the time that the Muslims conquered the Byzantine Empire, it was no longer Europe's richest nation. If the Byzantine Empire had fallen in 718, the Muslims would have used the wealth of the Empire to conquer all of Europe. The victory of 718 was more important than the victory of 732, because France was a relatively backward nation in the 700s compared to the Byzantine Empire.

Tervel's victory gave Western Europeans time to recover economically and militarily, to the extent that they were too strong for the Muslims to conquer in 1453.

[Resettozero]

There’s only One Christian Hero and His Jewish name was not listed in this article.

[Paladin2]

In 1683, King John III Sobieski had a cleanup in Aisle One to do.

Now in the 21st Century, it's past time to behave repulsively again.

[NorthMountain]

Thank for expressing your opinion.

I find it incompatible with reality.

[NorthMountain]

Now in the 21st Century, it's past time to behave repulsively again.

Quite so. I'm sure that some folks will find it deplorable when we do.

[Resettozero]

Thank for expressing your opinion.

I find it incompatible with reality.

Isn't FR great! We all get to have our opinion.

(Did you comprehend Who the One Christian Hero is that was referenced in my post and if so, Who do you think I meant?)

[pinochet]

More on Tervel of Bulgaria: http://www.sabori.bg/Thervel.html

[Disambiguator]

(Did you comprehend Who the One Christian Hero is that was referenced in my post and if so, Who do you think I meant?)

Yeshua HaMashiach?

[SIDENET]

celebrate the great victory attained by the Frenchman, Charles Martel

Hey, isn't he a FReeper?

[tomkat]

             

[2banana]

We need heros like this today...

[TexasRepublic]

I’ll buy a vowel for $100, please.

J _ S _ S

[Dick Vomer]

Charles “the Hammer” Martel..... yep.

[CondorFlight]

Modern version:

“Today is Oct. 10, the anniversary of the Battle of Tours, in which the racist Charles Martel turned back an army of North African refugees and prevented France from offering freedom of religious practice to Frenchmen; and perpetuated bigotry and the undue influence of the lower classes, who still clung to their bibles and swords.”

(and I wish the above were only a spoof, and not so likely to be close to reality...)

[NorthMountain]

I know perfectly well what you were saying. I'm a lot smarter than I look (not a very high bar to pass ...)

I know the difference between "The Hero" and "a hero".

I'm quite certain that you're smart enough to know that difference, too.

[ifinnegan]

Nice post, thanks.

[katana]

Less forgotten than King Jan Sobieski of Poland, who saved Europe again nine hundred years later by relieving the Ottoman Turks’ siege of Vienna. I remember Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer) and the Battle of Tours from classes on European history in which Vienna received scant attention and Sobieski none.

[Resettozero]

I know perfectly well what you were saying. I'm a lot smarter than I look (not a very high bar to pass ...) I know the difference between "The Hero" and "a hero". I'm quite certain that you're smart enough to know that difference, too.

Those are needlessly haughty and not useful responses from you.

There's one and only one Savior of Europe and it's not Charles Martel.

Goodbye, NorthMountain.

[Resettozero]

Yes, a Jew is the greatest Christian hero; the One and Only Savior of all Europe (and even the OP of this thread) from Nazareth.

[NorthMountain]

Those are needlessly haughty

Says the one who ended her first post to me with haughty words ...

ROFL!!!!