The Battle of Soissons of 718 was the last of the great pitched battles of the civil war between the heirs of Pepin of Heristal. Since Pepin's death in December 714, his grandson and heir Theudoald, his widow Plectrude, his bastard son Charles Martel, his successor as mayor of the palace in Neustria Ragenfrid, and the new king Chilperic II had been waging a war for ascendancy. Though Ragenfrid and Chilperic had begun with successes and Plectrude and Theudoald were removed early, Martel turned the tide of war and eventually forced the surrender of all his opponents. Combatants Burgundy England Kingdom of France Commanders  ? Joan of Arc Strength Casualties  ? Joan of Arc captured {{{notes}}} The Battle of Compiègne was fought on May 23, 1430 between French and Burgundian forces. ... The Battle of Cologne was fought near the city of Cologne (in modern Germany) in the year 716. ... The Battle of Amblève took place in 716. ... The Battle of Vincy was fought at Vincy, near Cambrai, in the modern département of Aisne. ... Events Pelayo established the Kingdom of Asturias in the Iberian peninsula (modern day Portugal and Spain). ... Pippin of Herstal ( Pépin), also known as Pippin the Middle, (b. ... // Events February 28 - An earthquake strikes Syria. ... Theudoald or Theodald was the mayor of the palace, briefly unopposed in 714 until Ragenfrid was acclaimed in Neustria and Charles Martel in Austrasia by the nobles, after the death of his grandfather, Pepin of Heristal. ... Plectrude or Plectrudis (d. ... For the 13th century titular King of Hungary, see Charles Martel dAnjou. ... Mayor of the Palace was an early medieval title and office, also known by the Latin name, maior domus or majordomo, used most notably in the Frankish kingdoms in the 7th and 8th centuries. ... Neustria & Austrasia The territory of Neustria originated in A.D. 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities. ... Ragenfrid (also Ragenfred, Raganfrid, or Ragamfred) (d. ... Chilperic II refers to either: Chilperic II of Neustria and I of Austrasia Chilperic II of the Franks This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

After their defeat at the Battle of Vincy, Chilperic and Ragenfrid allied with Odo the Great, the independent duke of Aquitaine, and marched on Soissons. Unfortunately, Charles had anticipated this, and was awaiting them, with an ever better trained core of veterans, many of whom would serve him all their adult lives. That army easily defeated the allied forces of Odo, Chilperic and Ragenfrid near Soissons. The king fled with his ducal ally to the land south of the Loire and Ragenfrid fled to Angers. Soon Odo made peace and surrendered Chilperic to Charles and Ragenfrid made peace too. The war was over and Charles was undisputed dux Francorum. The Battle of Vincy was fought at Vincy, near Cambrai, in the modern département of Aisne. ... Odo the Great (a. ... The persons who held the title of Duke of Aquitaine (French: Duc dAquitaine}, which became part of France in 1449 but was an independent duchy before that date, with the years they held it, were: // Kings and Dukes of Aquitaine Edward III claimed the title of King of France... Soissons is a town and commune in the Aisne département, Picardie, France, located on the Aisne River, about 60 miles northeast of Paris. ... Soissons is a town and commune in the Aisne département, Picardie, France, located on the Aisne River, about 60 miles northeast of Paris. ... Loire is a département in the east-central part of France occupying the Loire Rivers upper reaches. ... Location within France Angers is a city in France in the département of Maine-et-Loire, 191 miles south-west of Paris. ... The title dux et princeps Francorum, or duke and prince of the Franks, was the title adopted by Pepin of Heristal after his epoch-making victory at the Battle of Tertry in 687. ...

It is interesting and important to note that Charles chose not to execute any of his enemies, indeed, his nephew would serve in his army, and was treated kindly. Nor was his mother Plectrude treated with anything but kindness. Finally, Charles allowed both the deposed king, Chilperic and his Mayor, Ragenfrid to live. Norwich has commented that "either Charles Martel possessed a degree of decency and kindness to defeated foes unknown in that age, or his belief in himself was so great that he felt he could afford kindness as the ultimate show of strength in allowing them to live after their various plots and machinations against him." In any event, in allowing all his defeated foes to live - and many to serve the Frankish realm, in some capacity, Charles Martel was far different from the majority of his peers not just in the Dark Ages, but in all Ages of Man. Plectrude or Plectrudis (d. ...

Sources

• Oman, Charles. The Dark Ages 476-918. Rivingtons: London, 1914.