Reference
- CHANSON DE GESTEAn epic poem recounting the feats of Charlemagne or other kings of the Carolingian era and their barons. The term geste originally meant "heroic deeds" but came also to signify the "historical record" provided by the texts relating them and, by extension, the "family" or "lineage" responsible for them...
- Roland(rō'lӘnd), the great French hero of the medieval Charlemagne cycle of chansons de geste, immortalized in the Chanson de Roland (11th or 12th cent.). Existence of an early Roland poem is indicated by the historian Wace's statement that Taillefer sang of Roland's deeds to inflame the men before the Battle of Hastings (1066). Historically Roland was Charlemagne's commander on the Breton border; he was killed in a pass in the Pyrenees when Basques cut off the rear guard of the Frankish army returning from its invasion of Spain in 778. Legend makes Roland one of Charlemagne's 12 peers and his nephew, changes the Basques into Saracens, and locates the pass at Roncesvalles...
- Song of RolandThe Song of Roland is the English title of Chanson de Roland, a French epic poem composed by an unknown author, probably during the eleventh century. It is considered the first great work of French literature and one of the most important surviving examples of the medieval epic. Although the story is set in the late eighth century—a period during which Charlemagne (c. 742–814) came to rule most of Europe—the poem actually reflects political issues and cultural conditions that were current at the time it was composed...
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The Song of Roland
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Compiled in the 11th century, The Song of Roland is perhaps the world’s most famous portrait of early European chivalry, piousness, and militarism. This beautifully produced program offers an abridged English version of the battlefield epic, combining richly textured medieval and Renaissance art images with scholarly summaries and interpretations of the work’s major sections. Acknowledging the poem’s historical inaccuracies, the video nevertheless underscores its importance for later European listeners: specifically, as a rallying cry mobilizing Christian forces to embark on the Crusades. An Old French recital of the song’s first six lines begins the program. (73 minutes)
Online Resources
- La Chanson de Roland: BritannicaLa Chanson de Roland, English The Song of Roland, Old French epic poem that is probably the earliest (c. 1100) chanson de geste and is considered the masterpiece of the genre. The poem’s probable author was a Norman poet, Turold, whose name is introduced in its last line...
- The Song of Roland: Project GutenbergRead the Song of Roland online through Project Gutenberg. Anonymous Old French epic, dating perhaps as early as the middle 11th century.
Perspectives
The song of Roland
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
The Song of Roland
Charles the king, our emperor great, has been a full seven years in Spain.As far as the sea he conquered this haughty land.Not a single castle remains standing in his pathCharlemagne (768-814) was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 and presided over a huge empire. He frequently appears in literature as a great warlord and pious crusading figure. In 778, the rearguard of Charlemagne's retreating army was ambushed and defeated at the battle of Roncevaux. This became theinspiration for songs and poems celebrating deeds of valour in the face of overwhelming odds, through the character of Charlemagne's nephew (the imaginary) Roland. The Song of Roland is the most stirring and moving epic poem of the European Middle Ages, offering a particularly heady mixture ofhistory, legend, and poetry.Presented here in a lively and idiomatic new translation, the Song of Roland offers fascinating insights into medieval ideas about heroism, manhood, religion, race, and nationhood which were foundational for modern European culture. The Song of Roland is accompanied here by two other medieval French epics about Charlemagne, both of which show him to be a far more equivocal figure than that portrayed by the Roland: the Occitan Daurel and Beton, in which he is a corrupt and avaricious monarch; and the Journey of Charlemagne to Jerusalem and Constantinople, which gives the heroes of the Roland a comic makeover.
Onomastics of the Chanson de Roland
This ambitious study of all proper names in the Chanson de Roland is based for the first time on a systematic survey of the whole geographical and historical literature from antiquity to after 1100 for the Geographica, and on working through (almost) the entire documentary tradition of France and its neighbouring regions from 778 to the early 12th century for the personal names. The overall result is clear: the surviving song is more tightly and profoundly structured, even in smaller scenes, than generally assumed, it is also richer in depicting reality, and it has a very long prehistory, which can be traced in outline, albeit with decreasing certainty, (almost) back to the Frankish defeat of 778. Here are some individual results: for the first time, a detailed (and ultimately simple!) explanation not only of the 'pagan' catalogue of peoples, but also of the overarching structure of Baligant's empire, the organisation of North Africa, the corpus of the Twelve Anti-Pairs as well as the 'pagan' gods are given, and individual names such as Bramimunde and Jurfaret, toponyms such as Marbrise and Marbrose are explained. From Roland's Spanish conquests (v. 196-200), the course of the elapsed set anz toz pleins is reconstructed.
Myth of Charlemagne
- Films on Demand This link opens in a new windowCharlemagne is mythologized in the "Song of Roland." His life inspires a whole genre of chivalric literature which revolves around his adventures, his beautiful consort, and his faithful sword.