On This Date (with a Little Bit of Quantum Theory Sprinkled in)

In Tours, France, on October 10th, 732 CE, French king Charles Martel (also known in his time as "The Hammer") killed a Moorish warlord called Abd el-Rahman, ending a six-day long battle between the two kingdoms.

The event itself may seem insignificant, but the end of the battle was one of the biggest religious turning points in religious history. The Moors followed strictly a denomination of Islam (which had only existed for 120 years) and were eager to spread it across Africa and Europe. Based mostly in Northern Morocco and Southern Spain after 711 CE, expansion into France was only logical for the Moors, who were anxious to expand their newly founded borders. Along with the conquest, the Moors fully intended to convert all conquered peoples to Islam. Charles Martel, the king of France and devout Christian. It was very apparent to both sides that the enemy would not give in.

The battle dragged on for days. While neither side had a true advantage, Martel managed to overtake the army and drive them back into Spain.

As gruesome and brutal as the battle was, the interaction between Europe and Islam was crucial in the formation of both. Because of this battle, Islam would never have a strong or lasting presence in Europe; instead, they would move into Africa, out from the Middle East, and as far east as Indonesia and as far north as Russia. Christianity would continue to be concentrated in Europe; it would not really leave until the discovery of the New World almost a millennium later.

Imagine if the Moors had successfully invaded France. With France under their control, they could easily move into Britain, Germany, Italy (Rome), and Byzantium, which constitutes the vast majority of Europe both then and now. Major events leading up to our modern world would ever have happened, including: the Middle/ High Middle Ages, the English language, Byzantine power, the printing press, the compass, the naval vessel, and the cannon/musket. Without these things, nothing would ever have existed.

What is fascinating is that each of our existences are a culmination of the entirety of history; if Abd el-Rahman did not die on October 10, 732 CE, none of us would have been born. Blogspot wouldn't have been invented. The internet which supports it wouldn't have been invented. What's more, America (the country where the internet was invented), would not have been discovered. If one single action of the past was different (something as insignificant as ordering a cheeseburger vs. ordering a hot dog), the entire future will be the result of that and all past actions together.

I will end with a statement that would no doubt spark a controversy if anyone actually read each other's blog posts. I feel that the Battle of Tours is an amazing example of the Many Worlds Theory. I won't discuss it too much now, but it is one of my favorite quantum theories.

The Many Worlds Theory states that if an interaction (even sub-atomic) occurs that could have had multiple outcomes, there is a universe with each outcome. By that logic, there is a universe out there where Charles Martel and the Franks were defeated in 732; that same universe is one where nothing that happened after that moment in our universe happened the same way.