The year was 732 AD, and the fate of Europe hung by a thread. The Umayyad Caliphate had swept across Spain, its armies crossing the Pyrenees with visions of conquering Christendom itself. At Tours, a Frankish general named Charles Martel — “The Hammer” — gathered his men, farmers and soldiers alike, to face an army of seasoned warriors and swift horsemen. The battle raged for hours, the clash of blades echoing across the Loire Valley. The Umayyads charged again and again, but Martel’s men stood