Battle of Bordeaux

In June 732, the Umayyad army commanded by Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi inflicted a devastating defeat on Duke Eudes of Aquitaine on the outskirts of Bordeaux. Taken by surprise, the Aquitains, numerically very inferior and poorly prepared, could not contain the Muslim offensive: Bordeaux was taken and delivered to the sack. The Umayyad victory allowed Abd al-Rahman to continue his progress northwards, opening the road to the Loire and precipitating the crisis which led to the Battle of Poitiers.

After stopping Muslim expansion in Toulouse in 721, Eudes of Aquitaine had to face a new major offensive in 732. Abd al-Rahman crossed the Pyrenees, bypassed the main defense of Aquitaine and fell on Bordeaux, a poorly defended city, while Eudes was politically isolated. The lack of unity and the weakness of the Aquitaine troops made any prolonged resistance impossible. This setback marks the end of the military independence of Eudes, who must seek help from Charles Martel to save his duchy.

The Umayyad offensive is marked by its speed and the effect of surprise. Abd al-Rahman's troops advance without significant opposition, surround Bordeaux and win it in an assault. Eudes's forces, hastily assembled, are unable to organize and suffer a massacre. The lack of coordination, the numerical weakness and the tactical superiority of the enemy explain the brevity and violence of the defeat.

The crushing of the Aquitaine army in Bordeaux ruined any capacity for autonomous resistance of the duchy. Eudes of Aquitaine was forced to seek help from Charles Martel, mayor of the palace of the Franks, thus marking the political subordination of Aquitaine to the Carolingians. The Umayyads, emboldened by their success, continued their advance towards the Loire, preparing for the decisive confrontation at Poitiers a few months later.