At the Battle of the River Berre in 737 Frankish forces under the command of Charles Martel intercepted a sizeable Arab force sent from Al-Andalus to relieve the siege of Narbonne. The battle, which took place at the mouth of the River Berre (now in the Département of Aude), was a significant victory for Martel in the campaigns of 736-737. During this period Martel effectively prevented greater Umayyad expansion beyond the Pyrenees. For the 13th century titular King of Hungary, see Charles Martel dAnjou. ... 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. ... 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. ... Combatants Carolingian Franks Umayyad Caliphate Commanders Charles Martel Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi Abd er Rahman† Strength 15,000-75,000 60,000-400,000 Casualties about 1500 reported in western history, but probably far heavier unknown, but reported massive, notably Emir Abd er Rahman 1. ... During the Battle of Avignon in 737 Charles Martel expelled Muslim forces which had occupied the city in 734 after it had been surrendered to Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri, Umayyad governor of Narbonne, by Duke Maurontus of Provence. ... The Battle of Narbonne was fought in 737 between the forces of Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Fihri, Umayyad governor of Narbonne, and a Frankish army led by Charles Martel. ... The Battle of Nîmes took place shortly after the capture and destruction of Avignon in 737. ... For other uses, see Franks (disambiguation). ... For the 13th century titular King of Hungary, see Charles Martel dAnjou. ... Al-Andalus is the Arabic name given the Iberian Peninsula by its Muslim conquerors; it refers to both the Caliphate proper and the general period of Muslim rule (711–1492). ... Cathedral in Narbonne. ... Aude is a département in south-central France named after the Aude River. ... The Courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, one of the grandest architectural legacies of the Umayyads. ... Central Pyrenees. ...

After their resounding victory the Franks pursued the fleeing Arabs into the nearby sea-lagoons, "taking much booty and many prisoners".^[1] Martel's forces then devastated most of the principal settlements of Septimania, including Nîmes, Agde, Béziers and Maguelonne. Despite these victories a second expedition was needed later that year to regain control of Provence after Arab forces returned. According to Paul the Deacon's Historia gentis Langobardorum the Arabs retreated when they learned that Martel had formed an alliance with the Lombards.^[2] Septimania was the western region of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis that passed under the control of the Visigothic kingdom in 462, when Septimania was ceded to Theodoric II, king of the Visigoths. ... Location within France Nîmes is a city and commune of southern France, préfecture (capital) of the Gard département. ... Agde is a commune of the Hérault département, in southern France. ... Béziers (Besièrs in Occitan, and Besiers in Catalan) is a town in Languedoc, in the southwest of France. ... Villeneuve-lès-Maguelone is a village and commune of the Hérault département, in southern France. ... Paul the Deacon (c. ... The Historia gentis Langobardorum (history of the Lombards) is the chief work by Paul the Deacon, written in the late 8th century. ... The Lombards (Latin Langobardi, from which the alternative name Longobards found in older English texts), were a Germanic people originally from Northern Europe that entered the late Roman Empire. ...

Narbonne had been captured by Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani, governor of Al-Andalus,^[3] in 719 or 720. The city was renamed Arbunah and turned into a military base for future operations.^[4] It remained in the hands of the Emir of Córdoba until it was recaptured by Martel's son, Pepin III in 759. Cathedral in Narbonne. ... Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani was the Arab governor general of the Muslim occupied region of the Iberian Peninsula called Al-Andalus in the beginning of the 8th century. ... Al-Andalus is the Arabic name given the Iberian Peninsula by its Muslim conquerors; it refers to both the Caliphate proper and the general period of Muslim rule (711–1492). ... The interior of the Great Mosque in Córdoba, now a Christian cathedral. ... Pepin III (714 - September 24, 768) more often known as Pepin the Short (French, Pépin le Bref; German, Pippin der Kleine), was a King of the Franks (751 - 768). ...

References

1. ^ Fouracre, Paul (2000). The Age of Charles Martel. Pearson Education. ISBN 0582064767, p. 97.
2. ^ Fouracre, 2000, p. 97.
3. ^ Christys, Ann (2002). Christians in Al-Andalus (711-1000). London: Routledge, ISBN 0700715649, p. 28.
4. ^ Holt, P. M., Lambton, Ann K. S. and Lewis, Bernard (1977). The Cambridge History of Islam. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521291356, p. 95.