Historical and literary events related to the Song of Roland

• 711-16 Islamic/Arab conquest of most of Spain.

• 732      Battle between Tours and Poitiers: Karl Martell defeats ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi.

• 778      Battle of Roncesvalles. Charlemagne takes two armies into northern Spain in support of Sulaymān Yaqzan ibn aal-‘Arabi, the Governor of Barcelona, who is rebelling against the Emir of Cordoba. While besieging Sargossa, Charlemagne gets word of trouble with the Saxons on his other frontier, and decides to abandon the siege. On the way out of Spain, Charlemagne’s his rearguard is ambushed and annihilated by Basques in a mountain pass.

• 800      Charlemagne is crowned emperor.

• 797-810 Charlemagne, though his son, Louis the Pious, fights a series of actions in northern Spain, eventually achieving control over an area comparable to modern Catalonia.

814 Charlemagne dies.

before 840 Einhard writes the first, “official” biography of Charlemagne, briefly recording the battle of Roncesvalles.

1095 Pope Urban II calls for crusades.

1096-99           First crusade: European knights conquer Jerusalem and set up Kingdom of Jerusalem and other small feudal states in the present Middle East.

• ca. 1100 French Song of Roland (Chanson de Roland) is written. (manuscript)

• ca. 1130-40 Latin “Pseudo-Turpin”--Chronicle of Charlemagne and Roland tells story of Roland in much the same way as the Song of Roland.

• 1147-49 Second crusade, which is largely unsuccessful.

• Ca. 1170 Priest Konrad writes German Song of Roland for Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony.

• 1187 Sultan Saladin retakes Jerusalem

• 1189-92   Third crusade, led by Friedrich Barbarossa of Germany,  Richard the Lionheart of England, and Philipp II Augustus of France, fights against Saladin, ends in truce.