Isle Of Man The Battle Of Cologne 2006 One Crown BU

The Battle of Cologne was fought near the city of Cologne (in modern Germany) in the year 716. The battle is known chiefly as the first battle of Charles Martel’s command and is the only major defeat of his life. After the battle Charles chose to do the only thing he could: flee until he could gather his supporters and prepare. Cologne then fell after a short siege to the king and the Neustrians. But in the mountains of the Eifel, Charles had begun to rally his supporters, and he fell on the army of Chilperic II. He used a feigned retreat, among other tactics for which he would become famous, primarily, attacking his foes when they least expected it, usually outnumbered, and depending on his generalship – in this case falling on his foes as they rested at midday, and feigning falling back to draw them fully out of a defensive position, where he crushed them. He remained undefeated thereafter for twenty-five years, against a wide variety of foes, foreign and domestic, including his legendary defeat of the Muslim invasion of Europe at the Battle of Tours.