Matter of France

Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian Empire from 800. He united most of Western and Central Europe and was the first recognised emperor to rule from the west after the fall of the Western Roman Empire approximately three centuries earlier. Charlemagne's reign was marked by political and social changes that had lasting influence on Europe throughout the Middle Ages.

thumb|Location of Aachen in the Meuse (Dutch and German: Maas) river system ()

medieval epic work

battle fought in 732 by Merovingian Franks against the Umayyad Caliphate

Roland (; ; or Rotholandus; or Rolando; died 15 August 778) 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 governor of the Breton March, responsible for defending Francia's frontier against the Bretons. His only historical attestation is in Einhard's Vita Karoli Magni, which notes he was part of the Frankish rearguard killed in retribution by the Basques in Iberia at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass.

medieval narrative in poetic form

epic Italian poem by Ludovico Ariosto

enchantress in Arthurian legend

thumb|Roger délivrant Angélique (1824) by Louis-Édouard Rioult depicts the scene of [[Orlando Furioso where Ruggiero () rescues Angelica () while riding on a hippogriff.]] The hippogriff (Italian: ) or hippogryph is a legendary creature with the front half of an eagle and the hind half of a horse.

thumb|upright=1.35|The death of Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux (manuscript illustration c. 1455–1460) The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers (), are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) chanson de geste cycle of the Matter of France, where they play a similar role to the Knights of the Round Table in Arthurian romance. In these romantic portrayals, the chivalric paladins represent Christianity against a Saracen (Muslim) invasion of Europe. The names of the paladins vary between sources,

778 battle between Charlemagne and Basques

fictional character; legendary knight of Charlemagne

thumb|Roland cleaving a rock with Durendal and blowing the Olifant (instrument)|olifant before death.

thumb|The Reconciliation of Titania and Oberon by Joseph Noel Paton Oberon () is a king of the fairies in medieval and Renaissance literature. He is best known as a character in William Shakespeare's play ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', in which he is King of the Fairies and spouse of Titania, Queen of the Fairies.

type of horn instrument made from ivory

manuscript collection

thumb|right|Albrecht Duerer portrait of [[Charlemagne with Joyeuse]] In medieval legend, Joyeuse (; ; meaning 'joyous, joyful') was the sword wielded by Charlemagne as his personal weapon.

Abul-Abbas ( – 810) was an Asian elephant brought back to the Carolingian emperor Charlemagne by his diplomat Isaac the Jew. The gift was from the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid and symbolizes the beginning of Abbasid–Carolingian relations. The elephant's name and events from his life are recorded in the Carolingian Annales regni Francorum, and he is mentioned in Einhard's Vita Karoli Magni. However, no references to the gift or to interactions with Charlemagne have been found in Abbasid records.

thumb|A print depicting Astolfo on horseback, 1510–1550

Frankish Burgundian leader and count of Paris, 790-877

legendary knight in chivalric romance, Christian saint

thumb|Three flamberge examples

body of literature and legendary material associated with the history of France, in particular involving Charlemagne and his associates

legendary magical horse in chivalric romance

thumb|The giant Fierabras. Engraving from the 1497 edition of Jehan Bagnyon's Roman de Fierabras le Géant (P. Maréchal et B. Chaussard, Lyon), BNF RES-Y2-993 Fierabras (from French: ', "brave/formidable arm") or Ferumbras' is a fictional Saracen knight (sometimes of gigantic stature) appearing in several chansons de geste'' and other material relating to the Matter of France. He is the son of Balan, king of Spain, and is frequently shown in conflict with Roland and the Twelve Peers, especially Oliver, whose prowess he almost rivals. Fierabras eventually converts to Christianity and fights for

Morgante (sometimes also called , the name given to the complete 28-canto, 30,080-line edition published in 1483) is an Italian romantic epic by Luigi Pulci which appeared in its final form in 1483; a now-lost 23-canto version likely appeared in late 1478; two other 23-canto versions were published in 1481 and 1482. The work was commissioned by Lucrezia Tornabuoni. thumb|Portrait of Luigi Pulci

epic poem by Matteo Maria Boiardo

Curtana, also known as the Sword of Mercy, is a ceremonial sword used at the coronation of British kings and queens. One of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, its end is blunt and squared to symbolise mercy.

novel by Italo Calvino

thumb|300px|The torture of Ganelon. Grandes Chroniques de France, 14th century.

late-thirteenth-century Norse prose compilation and adaptation dealing with Charlemagne and his paladins

right|thumb|Rodomonte defending the bridge; illustration by Gustave Dore to Orlando furioso Rodomonte (or Rodamonte) is a major character in the Italian romantic epic poems Orlando innamorato by Matteo Maria Boiardo and Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto. He is the King of Sarza and Algiers and the leader of the Saracen army which besieges Charlemagne in Paris. He is in love with Doralice, Princess of Granada, but she elopes with his rival Mandricardo. He tries to seduce Isabella but she tricks him into killing her by mistake. In remorse, Rodomonte builds a bridge in her memory and forces all

battlecry of the Kingdom of France

late twelfth-century Old French chanson de geste

princess in the epic poem Orlando innamorato by Matteo Maria Boiardo

thumb|Maugis on his horse Bayard, fighting against the Infidels, in Renaud de Montaubant. Loyset Liédet, Bruges, 1462-1470 thumb|Maugis fighting the Saracen wizard Noiron in Aigremont, in Renaud de Montaubant. David Aubert, Bruges, 1462-1470 Maugris or Maugis was one of the heroes of the chansons de geste and romances of chivalry and the Matter of France that tell of the legendary court of King Charlemagne. Maugis was cousin to Renaud de Montauban and his brothers, son of Beuves of Aygremont and brother to Vivien de Monbranc. He was brought up by Oriande the fairy, and became a great enchanter

fictional sorceress

14th-century Franco-Venetian epic poem

Wikimedia template

1961 novel by Poul Anderson

book

medieval romance attached to the Carolingian circle

legendary hero

cycle of Old French epic poems

fictional character in Orlando Furioso

Old French chanson de geste