The Emperor Charlemagne in La Chanson de Roland

La Chanson de Roland (The Song of Roland) is an Old French epic poem that belongs to the genre of the chanson de geste. Literally translated as “song of deeds”, they can be considered the foundation and beginning of French literature. Emperor Charlemagne is one of the main protagonists in the poem who is based on a historical figure but takes on epic proportions in the context of the chanson. It is evident from the …

…romances and other stories of the adventures of chivalrous knights, is indebted to La Chanson de Roland for its presentation of the king Charlemagne. As the social and political climate of France evolved, French literature reflects these changes and the eventual rise of feudalism as a viable sociopolitical system. The foundations for the rise of feudalism are clearly found in La Chanson de Roland, which serves as a watershed in the development of French literature.