Abstract
Distinguishing between myth and reality has been the greatest challenge
in writing this book. The image of Roland in the Basque oral
tradition is quite different from the noble courtier of literature and the
image of Charlemagne diverges from the Frankish chronicles written
in the monasteries of northern Europe. While the Frankish tradition
exalted its heroes, the Basque oral tradition, largely unknown to English
readers, had a very different interpretation of the events. Charlemagne
and Roland represent bringers of war, foreign paladins ignorant of the
customary law of the Basques and their way of life. This book is based
entirely on original historical sources, contemporaneous with the
events, translated from the original Latin by the author, some presented
in English for the first time. The author has also examined the terrain
exhaustively, enabling him to provide a totally new image of the battle
and its consequences.
Publisher
Amsterdam University Press