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Roland (Frankish: ''Hruodland'') (died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became 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 by rebellious Basques in Iberia at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. The story of Roland's death at Roncevaux Pass was embellished in later medieval and Renaissance literature. He became the chief paladin of the emperor Charlemagne and a central figure in the legendary material surrounding him, collectively known as the Matter of France. The first and most famous of these epic treatments was the Old French ''Chanson de Roland'' of the eleventh century. Two masterpieces of Italian Renaissance poetry, the ''Orlando innamorato'' and ''Orlando furioso'', are even further detached from history than the earlier ''Chansons''. Roland is poetically associated with his sword Durendal, his horse Veillantif, and his oliphant horn. ==History== The only historical mention of the actual Roland is in the ''Vita Karoli Magni'' by Charlemagne's courtier and biographer Einhard. Einhard refers to him as ''Hruodlandus Brittannici limitis praefectus'' ("Roland, prefect of the borders of Brittany"), indicating he presided over the Breton March, Francia's border territory against the Bretons.〔''Hruodlandus'' is the earliest Latinised form of his Frankish name, ''Hruodland''. It was later Latinised as ''Rolandus'' and has been translated into many languages for literary purposes: Italian: ''Orlando'' or ''Rolando'', Dutch: ''Roeland'', Spanish: ''Roldán'' or ''Rolando'', Basque: ''Errolan'', Portuguese: ''Roldão'' or ''Rolando'', Occitan: ''Rotland'', Catalan: ''Rotllant'' or ''Rotllà''.〕 The passage, which appears in Chapter 9, mentions that ''Hroudlandus'' (a Latinization of the Frankish ''Hruodland'') was among those killed in the battle: Roland was evidently the first official appointed to direct Frankish policy in Breton affairs, as local Franks under the Merovingian dynasty had not previously pursued any specific relationship with the Bretons. Their frontier castle districts such as Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine, south of Mont Saint-Michel, are now divided between Normandy and Brittany. The distinctive culture of this region preserves the present-day Gallo language and legends of local heroes such as Roland. Roland's successor in ''Brittania Nova'' was Guy of Nantes, who like Roland, was unable to exert Frankish expansion over Brittany and merely sustained a Breton presence in the Carolingian Empire. According to legend, Roland was laid to rest in the basilica at Blaye, near Bordeaux, on the site of the citadel. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Roland」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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