A century

8th century

2 stories from this century.

The Footnote June 27, 2026 · Tours, France

The Frankish Army Under Charles Martel That Stopped the Umayyad Northward Advance at Poitiers in October 732 Without Pursuing the Defeated Force

Charles Martel's Frankish army stopped the Umayyad Caliphate's northward raid into Gaul at a battle south of Tours on a date in October 732 CE. The Umayyad general Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi was killed. The Umayyad force withdrew south overnight; Martel chose not to pursue. The battle ended Umayyad ambitions of further northward expansion. The strategic significance has been disputed since the 19th century.

Read the story →

The Footnote June 27, 2026 · Lateran Palace, Rome

The Eighth-Century Forgery That Gave the Pope Temporal Rule Over Western Europe and Was Exposed in 1440 by Linguistic Analysis

The Donation of Constantine purported to be a fourth-century imperial decree granting Pope Sylvester I sovereignty over Rome, Italy, and the Western provinces of the Roman Empire. It was forged in the papal chancery around 750-800 CE. The Italian humanist Lorenzo Valla proved it a forgery in 1440 by analysing its Latin vocabulary, which contained terms that did not exist in the fourth century.

Read the story →