Song of Roland
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The Song of Roland is an 11th-century chanson de geste based on the deeds of the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in AD 778, during the reign of Charlemagne. It is the o
The eight phases of the Song of Roland in one picture; illustration by Simon Marmion from an illuminated manuscript of the Grandes Chroniques de France (15th century), currently preserved in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia
Detail of manuscript showing "AOI" at the end of the second line
Roland blows his olifant (ivory hunting horn) to summon help holding his sword Durendal while mounted on his horse Veillantif with Roland's Breach in the background, in the midst of the Battle of Roncevaux.
The death of Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux, illuminated c. 1455–1460 by Jean Fouquet
Roland
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Roland was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became an epic hero and one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was military
Composed in 1098, the first page of the Chanson de Roland (Song of Roland)
Roland statues, like the one in Bremen, became popular symbols of municipal independence during the Middle Ages.