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1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Odo, king of Aquitaine

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22194821911 Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 20 — Odo, king of Aquitaine

ODO, or Eudes (d. c. 736), king, or duke, of Aquitaine, obtained this dignity about 715, and his territory included the south-western part of Gaul from the Loire to the Pyrenees. In 718 he appears as the ally of Chilperic II., king of Neustria, who was fighting against the Austrasian mayor of the palace, Charles Martel; but after the defeat of Chilperic at Soissons in 719 he probably made peace with Charles by surrendering to him the Neustrian king and his treasures. Odo was also obliged to fight the Saracens who invaded the southern part of his kingdom, and inflicted a severe defeat upon them at Toulouse in 721. When, however, he was again attacked by Charles Martel, the Saracens renewed their ravages, and Odo was defeated near Bordeaux; he was compelled to crave protection from Charles, who took up this struggle and gained his momentous victory at Poitiers in 732. In 735 the king abdicated, and was succeeded by his son Hunold.