Battle of Roncevaux

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)
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After Charlemagne’s army invades Umayyad Spain (777), meeting heavy resistance at Zaragoza, Frankish forces suffer a terrible defeat at the hand of the Basques. Among those killed is Roland, Charlemagne’s general. The episode will form the basis of several poetic renderings in which Basques become Moors and Roland’s death is seen as heroic. The most celebrated version of this tale is the 11th century

La Chanson de Roland

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70 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Battle of Roncevaux". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 May 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=6869, accessed 19 March 2024.]

6869 Battle of Roncevaux 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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