Song of Roldán
The Cantar de Roldán or the Canción de Rolando (La Chanson de Roland i>, in French) is an epic poem (cantar de gesta) from the XI century, based on the military leader Franco Roldán in the Battle of Roncesvalles Pass in the year 778, during the reign of Charlemagne. It is the oldest surviving work of French literature. It exists in various manuscript versions, attesting to its enormous and enduring popularity between the 12th and 16th centuries.
The epic poem is the earliest and one of the most outstanding examples of epic songs, a literary form that flourished between the 11th and 16th centuries and celebrated legendary deeds. It was written in Old French, and attributed to a Norman monk, Turold, whose name appears in the last, enigmatic line: "Ci falt la geste que Turoldus declinet." However, the meaning of the verb "decline" in this verse is not clear: it may mean 'intone', 'compose' or 'compose'. or perhaps 'transcribe', 'copy'. It is estimated that it was written in the period between the years 1040 and 1115 AD. An early version began around 1040, to which additions and alterations were made until around 1115. The final text, called the Oxford Manuscript (because it is kept in the Bodleian Library, Oxford), written in Anglo-Norman (circa 1170), consists of 4,002 decasyllabic lines, arranged in 291 stanzas of unequal length called tiras (in French, laisses).
The date of the text
Although the text of the Oxford manuscript is dated to the late 12th century, it is probable that the text can be dated between 1060 and 1065, since William of Malmesbury says that the Normans sang the Song of Roland during the battle of Hastings. This date can be corroborated by the investigations of Dámaso Alonso, who discovered a note in the Visigothic alphabet found in a manuscript in San Millán de la Cogolla, which according to him cannot be later than the third quarter of the century XI after Christ.
Historical facts
This song of deed narrates, legendarily distorting, the events of the battle of Roncesvalles, which historically did not go beyond being a skirmish, and which could have pitted tribes of Basques against the rearguard of the Carolingian forces under the command of Count Roldán, Prefect of the March of Brittany. It is not clear that, due to the magnitude of the encounter, it came to be considered a battle, in the plains of Roncesvalles and Burguete, or in Puerto de Ibañeta. Most likely it was an ambush suffered by the Carolingian column on August 15, 778 in the Valcarlos gorge, on the North Pyrenean slope, according to data extracted from annals and chronicles of the IX. For example, Eginhard's Vita Caroli, a Latin chronicle of the reign of Charlemagne, tells how the young King Charles (when he had not yet become Emperor Charlemagne), allied with certain Muslim leaders in his struggles against others, he crossed the Pyrenees in the spring of 778, took the city of Pamplona and besieged Zaragoza. Reclaimed in his own kingdom due to an attack by the Saxons and a mutiny in the Aquitaine region, he lifts the siege, sacks Pamplona and returns. It is then, in revenge for the looting of the city of Pamplona, when his rearguard is attacked by Basque mountaineers.
Legendary transformation of these facts
The Cantar de Roldán was written some three centuries after the events. Enough time for the events to transform and the character of Roland, who was only the margrave of the March of Brittany, becomes the nephew of the old Emperor Charlemagne, who now has a "flowery beard". The facts are embellished and endowed with an epic and heroic dimension. The protagonist Roldán is accompanied by an imaginary friend, Oliveros. The ambush of the Basques becomes an attack by 400,000 Saracens, who can only defeat Roldán and the Twelve Peers of France (noble Frankish friends of the archbishop), also, due to the treason of the "perfidious" gannel.
Synopsis
the Basque aggressors are transformed into Muslim Saracens, which allows to make the expedition a sort of crusade, and events are triggered from the betrayal of Ganelon. Roldán is the nephew of Emperor Charlemagne and has an inseparable friend, Oliveros (non-historic person). The matter is the following: after seven years of Crusade, the Emperor Carlomagno has conquered the north of the Iberian peninsula to the Moors. Just resist Zaragoza, the city of King Marsilio. The francs receive suspicious peace proposals. Roldán proposes his stepfather as an ambassador. He believes that Roldán intends to send him to death and decides to get revenge. As an ambassador he prepares the betrayal: he puffs the Moors against Roldán, who is responsible for the harassment they are subjected to. He suggested that Marsilio should promise Carlomagno whatever, that the troops should leave and thus be able to attack the French rear, in which will be Roldán and the Twelve Couples of France. Charlemagne returns to France and, on the proposal of Ganelón, he entrusts the rearguard to Roldán.
Charlemagne crosses the Pyrenees, and the huge army of Marsilio falls on the rearguard led by Roldán. Despite the advice of the wise Oliveros, Roldán, brave and reckless, does not want to use his horn (the olifante) to call the bulk of the army, which has already passed the gorge, to his aid. Roldán, assisted by the flower of the French cavalry, fights bravely and repels two waves of pagans, but at a high price. One by one the knights are falling before the incalculable number of Moors that harass them. Roldán finally decides to touch the olifante to notify his uncle, the Emperor Charlemagne. He does it with such force that his temples burst. But it is too late, he is left alone in the fight and succumbs, like the others, in front of the enemy. Before dying he wishes to break his sword Durandarte so that it does not fall into the hands of the enemy, but the stone against which he strikes his sword is broken by the force of Roldán's blow.
When Charlemagne hears the horn calling for help, he suspects Ganelon's treachery and arrests him, and returns to Roncesvalles at the head of his troops. He pursues the retreating Moors and exterminates them on the banks of the Ebro. But once Marsilio's troops are defeated, Charlemagne must face Baligante, admiral of Babylon. In that battle, Baligante dies at the hands of Charlemagne, who finally manages to take Zaragoza, where Marsilio dies furious. After burying Roland, Oliveros, and Archbishop Turpin in the church of Saint-Romain in Blaye, he returned to Aachen dejected. Oliveros's sister, Alda, dies of grief upon learning of the death of her beloved Roldán.
Gannel is processed. He denies having betrayed them and claims to have taken revenge on the one who had sent him to his death. He appeals to the judgment of God. The champion who defends Ganelón, Pinabel, is defeated by Thierry d'Anjou, who fights for Roldán. Ganelon dies dismembered by four horses. Charlemagne sees how the archangel Saint Gabriel announces his victory and his revenge in his dreams.
Characters
The most important characters are strongly characterized:
- Roldán, nephew of Carlomagno, is the prototype of hero, of long and blonde hairs, beard, brave and strong, although he has the defect of being too proud and committing acts of military undiscipline. Precisely his fearful character is what determines the sad end of the French army, since the pride of Roldán prevents him from touching the horn (olifante) to ask his uncle for help.
- Oliveros, hero's companion, is the perfect complement for Roldán. He is also brave and powerful, but he also brings together the virtues of prudence and military discipline.
- Turpin the Archbishop, who dies blessing his fellow guns after having fought like them.
- He's the French nobleman who betrays Carlomagno. Despite what could be believed, it is not presented as a repugnant being full of defects, but as a gallant and courageous knight with the tender heart. What loses Ganelon is his desire for revenge by feeling offended by the fanfare of his stepdaughter Roldán.
Literary relevance
This poem had a wide repercussion in all the literatures of Europe and was a source of inspiration for other epic songs of the time.
It is rumored that there is a supposed version in Provençal, in which Roldán was the incestuous son of Charlemagne and his sister.