Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Charles Mar.tel


Charles Mar(war).tel(TELUS) meaning CHARLES THE HAMMER, was born about 688. He was the founder of the Carlovingian dynasty, and governed France with supreme power from 716 to 741, under the title of Duke of the Franks. He is claimed to be on of the patrons of Masonry. Thus the Landsdowne manuscript says:

"There was one of the Royal Line of France called Charles Marshall, and he was a man that loved well the said Craft and took upon him the Rules and Manners, and after that BY THE GRACE OF GOD he was elect to be the King of France, and he was in his Estate he helped to make those Masons that were now, and set them or Work and gave them Charges and Manners and good pay as he learned of other Masons, and confirmed them a Charter from year to year to hold their Assembly when they would, and cherished them right well, and thus came this Noble Craft into France."

Under the last Frankish kings of the Merovingian dynasty Charles Martel, reigned in France under the title of Mayor of the Palace, at the request of the Anglo-Saxon kings, sent many workmen and Masters into England. He carried on wars with the Saxons, the Allemanni and the Bavarians, but his great service to Europe was his driving back the Saracens. They had already taken Bordeax, and advanced to the Loire, when Charles met them,, in 732, and after a hard fought battle wholly defeated them. This was one of the most important victories in the world's history, and probably kept Europe from becoming a Mohammedan country, and being today no further advanced than Arabia.