Chanson de Roland

I INTRODUCTION

Chanson de Roland, epic poem, probably written in the 12th century, attributed by many to Norman poet Turold. Translated
into English as The Song of Roland, it is the earliest and most popular of the French chansons de geste (songs of great
deeds). Chanson de Roland recounts the heroic actions of Roland, the nephew and a favorite knight of Charlemagne, who
was king of the Franks from 768 to 814 and emperor of the Romans from 800 to 814. The poem survives in seven complete
manuscripts. The oldest of these, dated to the mid-1100s, is located in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford in
England.

II THE STORY

Death of Roland
The Chanson de Roland (Song of Roland) is an epic
French poem that tells the heroic adventures of the
knight Roland. On his return from fighting the
Saracens in Spain, Roland is killed in battle. The epic
was probably written in the 12th century. This
illuminated manuscript from the 14th century is in the
Marciana Library in Venice, Italy.
Giraudon/Art Resource, NY

Chanson de Roland is composed in stanzas of irregular length, designed to be sung by a minstrel. The song opens with the
story of Roland’s boyhood and his adventures at Charlemagne’s court and ends with an account of Charlemagne's wars
against the Saracens. When the French army returns from fighting in Spain, Roland is in charge of the troops at the rear.
Roland’s stepfather, Ganelon, nurses a deep grudge against him and conspires with Marsilion, the Saracen king of Saragossa,
to betray Roland and his forces to the enemy. The Saracens attack them at the pass of Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees, where
the French fight valiantly but against overwhelming odds.

Roland possesses a horn, called Oliphant, which has supernatural powers, but during the battle he delays blowing the horn to
summon help. Charlemagne, finally summoned by the call of Roland's horn, arrives too late to save Roland and his comrades
but destroys the remaining Saracens at the Ebro River. He then leads his army against the forces of Baligant, the emir of
Babylon and ally of King Marsilion. Baligant is defeated and slain, and Ganelon is led home to Aix-la-Chapelle, France, where
he is tried, condemned, and put to death.

III HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND AUTHORSHIP

The heroic legend told in Chanson de Roland is based on fact. According to historical documents, on August 15, 778,
Charlemagne was returning to France after being stopped in an attempt to capture the city of Zaragoza in what is now
northern Spain. While Charlemagne’s forces were strung out in a pass over the Pyrenees, the Basques attacked and
plundered them. Roland, one of Charlemagne’s officers, was killed in the fighting.
Although many scholars attribute Chanson de Roland to Norman poet Turold, who is mentioned in the last line of the poem,
there has been some controversy over whether the epic was really written by only one author. The poem possibly was
composed through a slow process of accumulation, with various tellers adding information to the story orally or in writing.
However, in the manuscript preserved at the University of Oxford, Chanson de Roland shows a unity of structure from both the
narrative and dramatic points of view. This unity supports the hypothesis that the work was composed by a single author.

IV ANALYSIS

Chanson de Roland presents a remarkable panorama of medieval life and its preoccupations. The poem’s religious theme pits
Christian against pagan and Frenchman against Saracen. The characters must resolve the conflicts between their religious
precepts and heroic ideals. Ganelon justifies his act of treachery to himself as his right of vengeance, but he is proven guilty in
the end and dies a shameful death. Charlemagne’s militant zeal for conquering pagans is offset by his humble submission to
fate when his troops and his beloved nephew Roland are killed by the Saracens. Before he dies, Roland's pride in his
patriotism, faith, and prowess is humbled as he sees it bring his companions to their deaths and France almost to disaster. In
the process he learns the lesson of humility and, after his death, he is taken up to heaven.

With few examples in the French language upon which to model his poetry, the author produced a work of sustained power
and beauty. The spare style, suited to an audience unschooled in rhetoric, has a direct and moving eloquence. Chanson de
Roland was adapted to many other literary forms, including a ballad cycle in Spain and popular legend in Scandinavia. It has
been retold by numerous authors, including Italian Renaissance poets Matteo Maria Boiardo and Ludovico Ariosto.

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