Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani, the
wali (governor) of
Al-Andalus, built up a strong army from Umayyad territories to conquer
Aquitaine, a large duchy in the southwest of modern-day
France, formally under
Frankish sovereignty, but in practice almost independent in the hands of the dukes of Aquitaine. He besieged the city of
Toulouse, then Aquitaine's most important city, and Duke Odo of Aquitaine, also known as Eudes, immediately left to find help. He asked the assistance of
Charles Martel, who in turn preferred to wait and see rather than help his southern rival. Odo returned three months later, just as the city was about to surrender, and attacked the Umayyad investing force on June 9.
The victory was essentially the result of a classic enveloping movement by Odo. After Odo originally fled, the Umayyads became overconfident, and instead of maintaining strong outer defenses around their siege camp, and continuously scouting, did neither. Thus, when Odo returned, he was able to launch an almost total surprise attack on the siege force, scattering it with the first attack, and slaughtering units that were resting or fled without weapons or armour.