By 700,
Odo the Great had secured his control over the Duchy of Aquitaine. Early on, he ensured peace between him and the Franks. During his reign, he fought against the
Umayyads, most notably at the
Battle of Toulouse (721). His victory over the Moors saw him win admiration from
Pope Gregory II, who honored him as a defender of
Catholicism and honored his independence. Odo the Great ensured peace between Aquitaine and the Umayyads by marrying off his daughter
Lampegia to the rebel Berber governor
Uthman ibn Naissa. As a result of this marriage,
Charles Martel turned his attention towards Aquitaine, crossing the
Loire River in 731. Odo confronted his army and was swiftly defeated. In that same year, an Umayyad invasion force led by
Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi attacked and killed ibn Naissa, capturing Odo's daughter and placing her in a
harem in
Damascus. Odo regrouped his forces and went to Charles Martel to warn him of this invasion force, and appeal for his help in fighting them off. Charles acquiesced, and on October 10th, 732, he and Odo defeated the Umayyads at the
Battle of Tours. Odo the Great continued to rule until his death in 735. Odo was succeeded by his son
Hunald I. Early into his reign, Charles Martel launched an invasion into Aquitaine—swiftly occupying Bordeaux—in order to assert his authority over the duchy. Despite this success, he chose not to directly annex the Duchy of Aquitaine. Despite their promise to remain loyal, Hunald and his brother Hatto revolted in 736. However, Charles soon captured and imprisoned Hatto. After escaping prison, he was lured by his brother to a meeting at
Poitiers, where he was blinded and imprisioned. Charles Martel died in 741, and in the following year, Hunald—in an alliance with the dukes of
Bavaria and
Alemannia—revolted against the Franks. In response,
Carloman and Pepin invaded Aquitaine and sacked the city of
Bourges and the fortress of
Loches. However, after withdrawing from Aquitaine, Hunald sacked the city of
Chartres, allegedly burning the
Chartres Cathedral to the ground. Nevertheless, his revolt soon ended after the appointing of
Childeric III as the
King of the Franks. The brothers didn't forget his transgression, and in 745, they invaded Aquitaine. Hunald submitted to the Franks, and according to the
Annals of Metz, he swore and oath to obey the Franks (
omnem voluntatem), give them
hostages, and send them any taxes owed. This humiliation was too much, and in that same year, he abdicated the throne—his son
Waiofar succeeded him. == References ==