Codex Calixtinus Book IV (Translation)

Turpin, by the grace of God Archbishop of Reims and constant companion of Emperor Charlemagne in Spain, to Luitprand, Dean of Aachen, greetings in Christ

Since you recently, while I was in Vienna somewhat ill from the scars of my wounds, ordered me to write to you how our emperor, the most famous Charlemagne, freed the Spanish and Galician lands from the power of the Saracens, I do not hesitate to write promptly, and send to your fraternity, the main ones of his admirable and praiseworthy triumphs over the Spanish Saracens, which I have seen with my own eyes while traveling through Spain and Galicia for fourteen years in conjunction with him and his armies.

Since your authority has been unable to find, as you wrote to me, the complete account of the king's exploits in Spain, as recounted in the royal chronicle of Saint Dionysius, know that its author, either due to the lengthy narration of so many events or because, being absent from Spain, he was unaware of them, did not write about them in detail therein, and yet this volume is in no way different from it. May you live in good health and be pleasing to the Lord.

So be it.

The most glorious apostle of Christ, James, while the other apostles and disciples of the Lord went to various regions of the world, preached first, it is said, in Galicia. Later, his disciples, after the apostle was killed by King Herod and his body was transported from Jerusalem to Galicia by sea, preached in Galicia itself; but the Galicians themselves later, giving in to their sins, abandoned the faith until the time of Charlemagne, emperor of the Romans, the French, the Teutons, and other peoples, and treacherously turned away from it.

But Charlemagne, after having acquired, with the power of his invincible arm and fortified with divine aid, various kingdoms in many regions of the world, namely, England, (8), Lorraine, Burgundy, Italy, Brittany and the other countries, as well as countless cities from one sea to the other, and wrested them from the hands of the Saracens and subjected them to the Christian empire, weary from such arduous labors and sweat, resolved to undertake no more wars and to take a rest.

And immediately he saw in the sky a path of stars that began in the Frisian Sea (9) and, extending between Germany and Italy, between Gaul and Aquitaine, passed directly through Gascony, the Basque Country, Navarre, and Spain to Galicia, where the body of Saint James then lay hidden, unknown. And as Charlemagne gazed upon it several times each night, he began to wonder very often what it might mean.

And while she was pondering this with great interest, a gentleman of splendid appearance, far more beautiful than words can describe, appeared to her in a dream during the night, saying to her:

––What are you doing, my son?

To which he replied:

–Who are you, sir?

“I am,” he replied, “James the Apostle, disciple of Christ, son of Zebedee, brother of John the Evangelist, whom the Lord, in His ineffable grace, deigned to choose by the Sea of Galilee to preach to the nations; whom King Herod killed with the sword, and whose body lies forgotten in Galicia, still shamefully oppressed by the Saracens. For this reason, I am greatly astonished that you have not liberated my land from the Saracens, you who have conquered so many cities and territories. Therefore, I tell you that just as the Lord made you the most powerful of the kings on earth, He has also chosen you above all others to prepare my way and liberate my land from the hands of the Muslims, and thus win for you a crown of unfading glory. The path of stars you saw in the sky signifies that from these lands to Galicia you must go with a great army to fight the treacherous pagan peoples, to liberate my path and my land, and to visit my basilica and sarcophagus.” And after you, all nations will journey there, from sea to sea, seeking forgiveness for their sins and proclaiming the praises of the Lord, His virtues, and the wonders He has performed. And truly they will go from your time until the end of this age. Now, therefore, go as quickly as you can, for I will be your helper in all things; and for your labors, I will obtain for you from the Lord in heaven a crown, and until the end of time your name will be praised.

Thus the holy Apostle appeared to Charlemagne three times. Therefore, having heard this, trusting in the apostolic promise, and after having gathered many armies, he entered Spain to fight the infidel peoples.

The first city he besieged was Pamplona. He besieged it for three months, but could not take it, because it was heavily fortified with impregnable walls. Then he raised his prayers to the Lord, saying:

"Lord Jesus Christ, by whose faith I have come to fight in these lands against an infidel people, grant me to conquer this city for the glory of your name. Oh Saint James, if it is true that you appeared to me, grant me to conquer it.".

Then, by God's grace and through the intercession of Saint James, the walls crumbled to the ground. Those Saracens who wished to be baptized were spared, and those who refused were put to the sword. When news of these miracles spread, Saracens everywhere submitted to Charlemagne as he passed through, sending him tribute, surrendering themselves and their cities, and the entire land became his tributary. The Saracens marveled at the Gauls, truly splendid, well-dressed, and elegant in appearance; and after they had laid down their arms, they received them honorably and peacefully.

After visiting the tomb of Saint James, he arrived at Padrón without encountering resistance and thrust a lance into the sea, giving thanks to God and Saint James for having brought him there, and said that he could go no further. He regenerated the Galicians, who, after the preaching of Saint James and his disciples, had turned to paganism, with the grace of baptism at the hands of Archbishop Turpin; that is, those who wished to convert to the faith and who were not yet baptized, for those who refused were either slaughtered or enslaved under the power of the Christians. Afterward, he traveled throughout Spain from coast to coast.

The largest cities and towns that it then acquired in Galicia are commonly called: Viseo, Lamego, Dumio, Coimbra, Lugo, Oresne, Iria, Tuy, Montadoñedo, Braga, the metropolitan; the city of Santa María de Guimaräes, Coruña, Compostela, although still small then.

In Spain: Alcalá, Guadalajara, Talamanca, Uceda, Olmedo, Canales, Madrid, Maqueda, Santa Olalla, Talavera, which is fruitful; Medinaceli, that is, a high city; Berlanga, Osma, Sigüenza, Segovia, which is large; Avila, Salamanca, Sepúlveda, Toledo, Calatrava, Badajoz, Trujillo, Talavera, Guadiana, Mérida, Zamora, Palencia, Lucena Ventosa, which is called Arcos; Estella, Calatayud, Milagro, Tudela, Zaragoza, which is called Caesaraugusta; Pamplona, Bayonne, Jaca, Huesca, the one with ninety towers; Tarazona, Barbastro, Roses, Seo de Urgel, Elna, Girona, Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida, Tortosa, the very strong town of Berbegal, the strong town of Carbona, the one of Oreja and the one of Algayat; The city of Adania, Isipalida, Escalona, the coast of Malaga, the coast of Burriana, the region of Cutanda; the city of Ubeda, that of Baeza, Petroissa, where very good silver is made; Valencia, Denia, Xàtiva, Granada, Seville, Cordoba, Abla, Guadix, where an olive tree miraculously blossoms at his tomb and is adorned with ripe fruit every year on his feast day, that is, May 15th; the city of Bizerte, in which there are some very valiant warriors who are commonly called Arrabit; the island of Majorca, the city of Bugia, which according to custom has a king; the island of Gelves, Oran, a city that is in Barbary; Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera, Alcoroz, Almeria, Almuñecar, Gibraltar, Carteya, Ceuta, which is in the regions of Spain where the Strait is, and likewise Algeciras and Tarifa.

Furthermore, all of Spain, that is, Andalusia, Portugal, the land of the mountain people, the land of the mixed-race people, Castile, the land of the Moors, Navarre, Alava, Biscay, Vasconia and Pallars, submit to the empire of Charlemagne.

All the cities, some without a fight, others with great battles and unsurpassed strategy, he conquered then, except for the aforementioned Lucerne, a heavily fortified city in Valverde, which he could not take until the very end. But finally he reached it, besieged it, and maintained the siege for four months, and after offering his prayers to God and Saint James, its walls fell, and it remains uninhabitable to this day, for in its center a pool of black water appeared where large black fish are found. However, some of the aforementioned cities were conquered before Charlemagne by other Gallic kings and Teutonic emperors, and they converted afterward to the pagan rite until his arrival. And after his death, many kings and princes fought the Saracens in Spain; Clovis, the first Christian king of the Franks, along with Chlothar, Dagobert, Pepin, Charles Martel, Charles the Bald, Louis the Pious, and Carloman, partially conquered Spain in their time. These are the cities he cursed after conquering them with arduous effort, and which remain uninhabited to this day: Lucerne Ventosa, Caparra, and Adania.

The idols and images he found in Spain were completely destroyed, except for the idol in Andalusia called Salam of Cádiz. Cádiz is the proper name of the place where it is located: Salam in Arabic means God.

The Saracens say that this idol was personally crafted by Muhammad, whom they worship, during his lifetime as his symbol, and that he hid within it, through his magic, a legion of demons who possess it with such power that it has never been broken by anyone; for when any Saracen approaches it to worship or pray to Muhammad, he remains unharmed. If any bird lands upon it, it dies instantly.

There is, then, on the seashore an ancient stone, beautifully carved with Arabic designs, which rises from the ground, large and square at the bottom, narrow at the top, as high as a raven soars in the air, and upon it stands that image, of excellent bronze, carved in the form of a man, standing erect on his feet, and facing south, holding in his right hand an enormous key. And this key, as the Saracens themselves say, will fall from his hands the year in which the future king is born in Gaul, who in the latter days will subjugate all of Spain to Christian law. As soon as they see the key fall, they will all flee, after hiding their treasures in the ground.

With the gold that the kings and princes of Spain gave to Charlemagne, he enriched the Basilica of Santiago, in whose lands he had lingered for three years. He established there a bishop and canons, according to the rule of Saint Isidore, bishop and confessor, and endowed it fittingly with bells, cloth, books, and other ornaments. From the remaining gold, then, and from the innumerable silver that he took from Spain, upon his return he built many churches, namely: the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Aachen, and the Basilica of Santiago in the same city; the Church of Santiago in the city of Béziers; the Basilica of the same saint in Toulouse, and the one in Gascony, between the city commonly called Aix and Saint-Jean-de-Paris, between the Seine River and Montmartre, and countless abbeys that he built throughout the world.

When Charlemagne finally returned to Gaul, a certain pagan king of Africa, named Aigoland, conquered Spain with his armies, after driving out and killing the Christian garrisons that Charlemagne had left to protect the land. Upon hearing this news, Charlemagne again returned to Spain with a large army. Milo of Angles commanded his forces.

But we must relate what a great example the Lord deigned to show us all then, concerning those who unjustly withhold the alms of the dead.

While Charlemagne's army was encamped in Bayonne, a Basque city, a knight named Romarico, who was very ill and near death, after receiving absolution and the Eucharist from a priest, ordered a relative to sell his horse and distribute the proceeds to the clergy and the poor. Upon his death, the relative, driven by greed, sold the horse for one hundred sous and quickly spent the money on food, drink, and clothing.

But since the punishments of the divine Judge usually closely follow evil deeds, one night, thirty days later, the deceased appeared to him in a dream and said:

– Since I entrusted all my things to you to give as alms for the redemption of my soul, know that all my sins have been forgiven before God; but since you unjustly withheld my alms, understand that I have suffered the infernal pains for thirty days; and know, therefore, that tomorrow you will be placed in the same place in hell from which I have come, and I will sit in paradise.

And having said this, the dead man disappeared, and the living man awoke trembling. And as early morning he was recounting to everyone what he had heard, and the whole army was discussing this singular event, suddenly there were cries in the air above him, like the roars of lions, wolves, and oxen, and at once he was snatched away alive and unharmed by demons in the midst of those present, with those same shrieks. And what else? He was searched for for four days through mountains and valleys by foot soldiers and horsemen, and he was not found anywhere. Finally, twelve days later, when our army was marching through the deserted land of Navarre and Álava, they found his lifeless and dismembered body atop a crag, whose slope lay three leagues from the sea and was four days' journey from the aforementioned city. The demons, therefore, had thrown his body there and dragged his soul down to hell. Therefore, let those who unjustly withhold the alms of the dead entrusted to them for distribution know that they will be punished eternally.

Then Charlemagne and Milo, with their armies, began to search for Aigolando throughout Spain. And as they searched carefully, they found him in the land called Campos, by the river called Cea, in some meadows, that is to say, in a very good flat place, where later, by order and with the help of Charlemagne, the great and beautiful basilica of the holy martyrs Facundus and Primitivo was built, in which the bodies of these martyrs rest, and an abbey of monks was founded and a large and very rich town was built in the same place.

As Charlemagne's armies drew near, Aigolando challenged him to a fight of his choosing: twenty against twenty, forty against forty, one hundred against one hundred, one thousand against one thousand, two against two, or one against one. Charlemagne immediately sent one hundred soldiers against Aigolando's one hundred, and the Saracens were killed. Then Aigolando sent another one hundred against one hundred, and they too were killed. Next, Aigolando sent two hundred against two hundred, and all the Moors were immediately killed. Finally, Aigolando sent two thousand against two thousand, some of whom were killed, and others fled. But on the third day, Aigolando secretly cast lots and revealed Charlemagne's defeat. He challenged him to a pitched battle the following day, if he wished, which both accepted.

Then there were some of the Christians who, having carefully prepared their weapons of war on the eve of the battle, planted their spears upright in the ground before the camp, that is, in the meadows by the aforementioned river. The following morning, those who in the next encounter were to receive the palm of martyrdom for the faith of God found them adorned with bark and leaves. Seized by unspeakable wonder and attributing such a great miracle to divine grace, they cut them down to the ground, and the roots that remained in the earth, like seedlings, later gave rise to great forests that still exist in that place. For many of their spears were made of ash wood. A wondrous thing and a great joy, a magnificent benefit for their souls and enormous harm for their bodies. But what more? That day the battle raged between the two sides, and in it forty thousand Christians were killed. And Duke Milo, father of Roland, with those whose spears had sprouted new leaves, attained the palm of martyrdom. And Charlemagne's horse was killed. Then Charlemagne, on foot with two thousand Christian infantry, drew his sword, called Joyous, in the midst of the Saracen ranks and cut many in half. At dusk that day, both Christians and Saracens returned to their camps. The next day, four marquesses from Italy came to Charlemagne's aid with four thousand warriors. As soon as Aigoland recognized them, he turned and retreated to the lands of León, and Charlemagne and his armies then returned to Gaul.

In that battle, one can understand the salvation of Christ's combatants; for just as Charlemagne's soldiers, when going into battle, prepared their weapons for combat, so too must we prepare our weapons—that is, our good virtues—to fight against vices. Whoever, therefore, opposes courage against heretical wickedness, or charity against hatred, or generosity against avarice, or humility against pride, or chastity against lust, or assiduous prayer against demonic tension, or poverty against opulence, or perseverance against inconstancy, or silence against insults, or obedience against human rebellion, will have their lance flourishing and victorious on the day of God's judgment. Oh, how happy and beautiful will be, in the kingdom of heaven, the soul of the victor who duly fought against vices on earth! No one will be crowned except those who have fought worthy of the cause. And just as Charlemagne's warriors died in battle for the faith of Christ, so too must we die to vices and live for holy virtues in this world until we deserve to receive the blossoming palm of triumph in the heavenly kingdom.

Then Aigolando gathered countless people: Saracens, Moors, Moabites, Ethiopians, mountain dwellers, mixed-race people, Africans, Persians; Texufín, king of the Arabs; Burrabel, king of Alexandria; Avito, king of Bougie; Ospino, king of Djerba; Fatimon, king of Barbary; Ali, king of Morocco; Afingio, king of Majorca; Maimon, king of Mecca; Ebrahim, king of Seville; Almanzor of Córdoba; and he went to the Gascon city of Agen and captured it. Then he ordered Charlemagne to come peacefully to him with a small escort of soldiers, promising him sixty horses laden with gold, silver, and other treasures, on the sole condition that he submit to his empire. He said this because he wanted to meet him so that he could later kill him in battle. But Charlemagne, having noticed this, went with two thousand of his bravest men about four miles away and hid them there. He then went with only sixty warriors to a hill near the city, from which it could be seen. There he left them, and having changed his splendid garments, without his lance, his shield slung across his back as emissaries in times of war customarily do, he reached the city with a single warrior. Immediately, some people leaving the city approached them and asked what they were looking for.

– We are emissaries, they said, of the famous King Charlemagne, sent to your King Aigolando.

And they brought them to the city, before Aigoland; and they said to him:

Charlemagne is sending us to you, for he himself has come, as you commanded, with sixty warriors, and wishes to fight under your banners and become your vassal, if you will grant him what you have promised. Therefore, come peacefully to him with sixty of your men and speak to him.

Then Aigolando armed himself and told them to return to Charlemagne and tell him to wait. Aigolando didn't realize it was Charlemagne speaking to him. Charlemagne, however, recognized him then, and explored the city, identifying its weakest points for conquest and the kings within. He then returned with the sixty warriors he had left behind, and together they rejoined the two thousand.

Aigolando, therefore, pursued them swiftly with seven thousand knights, intending to kill Charlemagne, but, noticing this, they fled. Afterward, Charlemagne returned to Gaul and besieged it, maintaining the siege for six months. But in the seventh month, when Charlemagne had positioned catapults, crossbows, mantlets, battering rams, and all other siege engines, as well as wooden towers, along the walls, Aigolando, with the kings and their nobles, secretly escaped through sewers and passageways, and crossing the Garonne River, which flows near the city, fled from Charlemagne's grasp. The next day, Charlemagne triumphantly entered the city. Some of the Saracens were then slaughtered; others fled across the Garonne with great force. Nevertheless, ten thousand Saracens were put to the sword.

Afterwards, Aigoland went to the city of Saintes, which was then under Saracen rule, and there he remained with his men. But Charlemagne followed him and ordered him to surrender the city. Aigoland, however, refused to surrender it, but instead went out to battle against him, on the condition that the city would belong to whoever defeated him. On the eve of the battle, in the afternoon, when the camps, retinues, and squadrons were already in place, in some meadows between the castle called Talaburg and the city, by the river called Charente, some Christians planted their upright lances in the ground before the camp. And the next day, those who in the imminent battle were to receive the palm of martyrdom for the faith of Christ found their lances adorned with bark and leaves. And they truly rejoiced at such a great miracle from God, and having pulled their spears from the ground, they all gathered together and were the first to enter the battle, killing many Saracens; but in the end, they were crowned with martyrdom. Their army numbered up to four thousand. And Charlemagne's horse was also killed; and he, overwhelmed by the strength of the pagans, after regaining his strength with his armies, fighting on foot, killed many of them. Unable to withstand their fighting, they fled to the city, exhausted by the many they had killed. Charlemagne, therefore, pursued them, besieged the city, and the following night Aigoland attempted to flee with his armies across the river. But Charlemagne, noticing this, pursued them and killed the king of Djerba and the king of Bougie, and many other pagans, nearly four thousand in total.

Then Aigolando crossed the passes of Cize and arrived at Pamplona, and he ordered all his armies throughout the land to assemble before him. He decreed that throughout Gaul, all the serfs subjected to the abuses of their wicked lords, having their servitude redeemed and the tribute paid, should be free forever, along with all their present and future descendants. He also ordered that those Franks who went with him to Spain to fight the infidels should never again be serfs of any barbarian people. But there was more. He also pardoned all those he found imprisoned; he enriched those he found poor, clothed the naked, appeased the malevolent, and bestowed appropriate honors upon the dispossessed. He honorably knighted all those skilled in arms and all the squires. Those whom he had justly distanced himself from his friendship, he sincerely returned to it, repentant for the love of God; to march to Spain he gathered them all together, friends and enemies, natives and foreigners. And those whom the king admitted to fight against the infidel people, these I, Turpin, with the authority of the Lord and with our blessing and absolution, forgave of all their sins.

Then, having gathered one hundred and thirty-four thousand warriors, he marched to Spain against Aigolando. These are the names of the greatest leaders who were with him: I, Turpin, Archbishop of Reims, who with the timely words of Christ strengthened the faithful people and encouraged them to battle, absolved them of their sins, and on occasion fought the Saracens with my own weapons; Roland, leader of the armies, Count of Le Mans and Lord of Blaye, nephew of Charlemagne and son of Duke Milo of Anglers and Bertha, Charlemagne's sister, with four thousand men-at-arms; there was, however, another Roland, whom I must now omit from my account; Oliver, leader of the armies, a most valiant knight, very skilled in war, most powerful with his arm and sword, also Count of Gennes, son of Count Reniero, with three thousand warriors; Stult, Count of Langres and son of Count Odo, with three thousand men; Arestian, king of the Bretons, with seven thousand men-at-arms; but in his time there was another king in Brittany, of whom no full mention is made now: Engeler, Duke of Aquitaine, with four thousand warriors. These were skilled in all kinds of weapons, especially with bows and arrows. In the time of this Engeler there was another Count of Aquitaine, specifically in the city of Poitiers, of whom no further mention is made now. This Engeler, then, of Gascon lineage, was Duke of the city of Aquitaine, which is situated between Limoges, Bourges, and Poitiers, and which Caesar Augustus founded in those lands and called Aquitaine, to whose dominion he also subjected Bourges, Limoges, Poitiers, Saintes, and Angoulême with their provinces, so that all that land is called Aquitaine. This city, therefore, lacking its duke after the death of Engelero, became barren, because all its citizens died fighting at Roncevaux and no one else wished to live there anymore. Gaiferos, king of Bordeaux, with three thousand warriors, departed for Spain with Charlemagne; Gelero, Gelino, Solomon; Gandelbod, king of Frisia, with seven thousand knights; Hoel, count of the city commonly called Nantes, with two thousand heroes; Arnaldo of Belanda, with another two thousand; Naimo, duke of Bavaria, with ten thousand heroes; Ogier, king of Dacia, with ten thousand heroes. A song of heroic deeds celebrates him to this day, for he performed countless feats. Lambert, prince of Bourges, with two thousand men; Samson, duke of Burgundy, with ten thousand heroes; Constantine, prefect of Rome, with twenty thousand knights; Reinaldos of Montalbán, Walter of Termes, William, Garín, Duke of Lorraine, with four thousand men; Begon, Alberic the Burgundian; Berald of Nublis, Guinardo, Esturmito, Tedrico, Yvorio, Berenguer, Atón, Ganelon, who later proved to be a traitor. And the army of his own lands numbered forty thousand knights and countless infantry.

These men are renowned heroes and warriors, the most powerful among the powerful in the universe, the strongest among the strong, champions of Christ who spread the Christian faith throughout the world. For just as Our Lord Jesus Christ, together with his twelve apostles and disciples, conquered the world, so too did Charlemagne, King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans, with these warriors, conquer Spain to the glory of God's name. Then all the armies gathered in the plains of Bordeaux. They covered that entire land within two days' march. Their thunder and noise could be heard twelve miles away.

And Arnaldo de Belanda was the first to cross the Cize passes and arrived at Pamplona. Count Estulto followed him with his army. Next came King Arestiano and Duke Engelero with their armies; immediately afterward came King Gandelbodo with his army. Then came King Ogier and Constantine with their armies. Finally, Charlemagne arrived with all the other armies; and they covered the entire land from the Runa River to the mountain that lies three leagues from the city along the Way of St. James. It took them eight days to cross the passes. Meanwhile, Charlemagne ordered Aigolando, who was in the city, which he had rebuilt and fortified, to surrender it to him or go out to battle against him. Aigolando, therefore, saw that he could not hold the city against him, and preferred to go out and fight rather than die shamefully within its walls. Then he asked Charlemagne to grant him a truce until his army had left the city and prepared for battle, and to speak with him face to face. For Aigoland longed to see Charlemagne.

Thus, the truce having been granted between them, Aigolando marched out of the city with his armies and, leaving them at its side, went with sixty of his magnates to a point one mile away. The armies of Aigolando and Charlemagne were then on a splendid plain beside the city, six miles wide and six miles long. The Way of St. James separated the two armies. Then Charlemagne said to Aigolando:

"You are Aigolando, you who treacherously seized my land. With the invincible arm of God's power, I conquered the lands of Spain and Gascony, subjugated them to Christian laws, and subjected all their kings to my rule. But you, upon my return to Gaul, slaughtered the Christians of God, devastated my cities and castles, and laid waste to my land with fire and sword, for which I now lodge my grave grievances.".

As soon as Aigolando recognized his Arabic language, which Charlemagne did not speak, he was greatly amazed and delighted. For Charlemagne had learned the Saracen language in the city of Toledo, where he had lived for a time in his youth. Then Aigolando replied to Charlemagne:

– I beg you to tell me why you took from our people a land that does not belong to you by hereditary right, and that neither your father, nor your grandfather, nor your great-grandfather, nor your great-great-grandfather possessed.

"For this reason," replied Charlemagne, "because Our Lord Jesus Christ, creator of heaven and earth, chose our people, that is, Christianity, from among all peoples, and established that it should rule over all the peoples of the world, and for this reason I have subjected your Saracen people to our religion as far as I have been able.".

“It is most undignified,” said Aigolando, “that my people should be subject to yours, since our religion is better than yours. We have Muhammad, who was a prophet of God sent to us by Him, and whose precepts we follow; moreover, we have omnipotent gods, who, by Muhammad’s command, reveal the future to us, whom we revere and by whom we live and reign.”.

“In that you are mistaken, Aigolando,” replied Charlemagne; “for we keep God’s commandments; you observe the empty precepts of a vain man. We believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and we worship Him; you believe in the devil and worship him in your idols. Our souls, through the faith we have, go after death to paradise and eternal life; yours go to hell. From this it is shown that our religion is better than yours. Therefore, receive baptism, you and your people, and live, or come and fight against me and receive a shameful death.”.

“Far be it from me,” replied Aigolando, “to receive baptism and renounce Muhammad, my almighty God. On the contrary, my people and I will fight against you and yours, on the condition that if our religion is more pleasing to God than yours, we will defeat you; and if your religion is better than ours, you will defeat us. And may the vanquished be eternally filled with shame, and the victors with fame and glory. Furthermore, if my people are defeated, I will receive baptism, if I survive.”.

This was granted by both sides. Immediately, twenty Christian knights were chosen on the battlefield against twenty Saracens, and they began to fight under the aforementioned condition. But what else? At once, all the Saracens were killed. Then forty were sent, and Saracens were killed. Next, one hundred were sent against one hundred, and all the Moors were killed. Again, one hundred were sent against one hundred, and instantly the Christians, who were retreating, were killed, for they fled, fearing death.

These, then, represent the type of faithful soldiers of Christ, for those who want to fight for the faith of God must by no means retreat. And just as those were killed because they fled backward, so too the faithful of Christ, who must fight valiantly against vices, if they retreat, will die shamefully in them. But those who fight well against vices will swiftly kill the enemies, that is, the demons who control them. No one will be crowned, says the Apostle, except the one who has fought righteously.

Then two hundred were sent against two hundred, and immediately all the Saracens were killed. Finally, a thousand were sent against a thousand, and at once all the Saracens were killed. Then, a truce having been granted by both sides, Aigolando arrived to speak to Charlemagne, asserting that the Christian religion was better than that of the Saracens. And he promised Charlemagne that the next day he and his people would be baptized. So he returned to his people and told the kings and magnates that he wished to be baptized. And he commanded all his people to be baptized. Some consented, and others refused.

The next day, around nine o'clock, having been given a break to travel to and from Charlemagne, Aigolando arrived to be baptized. As soon as he saw Charlemagne eating at the table, and many others arranged around him—some seated dressed in knights' attire, others covered in black monastic habits, some in the white habits of canons, others in clerical robes, and still others in various other garments—he asked Charlemagne what kind of people each of them was. And Charlemagne told him:

Those you see dressed in robes of a single color are the bishops and priests of our religion, who teach us its precepts, absolve us of our sins, and give us the Lord's blessing. Those you see in black habits are the monks and abbots, holier than the former, who never cease to implore the Majesty of the Lord for us. Those you see in white habits are called canons regular, who observe the rule of the greatest saints and likewise pray for us and sing the morning masses and the hours of the Lord.

Meanwhile, Aigolando, seeing thirteen poor men in a certain place, dressed in miserable clothes, sitting on the ground and eating a meager meal and drink without tablecloths, asked what kind of men they were. And Charlemagne himself said:

– These are the people of God, messengers of Our Lord Jesus Christ, whom, in the number of twelve like the apostles of the Lord, we are accustomed to feed every day.

Then Aigolando replied:

Those who live around you are happy; they are your own, and they eat, drink, and dress abundantly. But those whom you say belong entirely to your God and whom you claim are his messengers—why do they perish from hunger, are poorly clothed, are cast far from you, and are treated shamefully? He who treats his Lord so shamefully serves his Lord ill. He who receives his messengers so shamefully brings great shame upon his God. Now you prove that your religion, which you claimed was good, is false.

And having received his permission, he returned to his men and, refusing to be baptized, challenged him to a duel the following day. Charlemagne then understood that Aigoland had refused baptism because of the poor he had seen mistreated, diligently cared for all those he found in the army, clothed them well, and honorably provided them with food and drink.

From this we must deduce how great a guilt any Christian acquires who does not attend to the poor with all due care. If Charlemagne, by mistreating the poor, lost that king and his people from baptism, what will happen on the day of final judgment to those who mistreated them here? How terrible it will be when they hear the voice of the Lord saying, «Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat,» etc. For we must bear in mind that the religion of the Lord and his faith are of little value in the Christian if they are not translated into works, as the Apostle affirms when he says, «As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without good works is dead also.» Just as the pagan king rejected baptism because he did not see in Charlemagne the righteous works of baptism, so too I fear that the Lord will reject in us the faith of baptism on the day of judgment for not finding its works.

The next day, all those from both sides went armed to the battlefield to fight, with the customary conditions of the two religions. Charlemagne's army consisted of one hundred and thirty-four thousand men, and Aigolando's of one hundred thousand. The Christians formed four lines and the Saracens five; the first of these, which entered the fray first, was immediately defeated. Then the second squadron of Saracens advanced, and was also immediately defeated. As soon as the Saracens saw their defeat, they all gathered together, and Aigolando placed himself in their midst. Seeing this, the Christians surrounded them on all sides. Arnaldo de Belanda surrounded them from one side with his army, Count Estulto from another with his, Arestiano from another with his, King Gandelbodo from another with his, King Oiger from another with his, King Constantine from another with his, and Charlemagne from yet another with his countless armies. Then Arnaldo de Belanda charged first with his army upon them, and killed and felled all on the right and left until he reached Aigolando, who stood in their midst, and bravely killed him with his own sword. Immediately a great cry arose from all sides, and the Christians rushed upon the Saracens from every direction and killed them all except the King of Seville and Almanzor of Córdoba. These, with a few squadrons of Saracens, fled. So great was the outpouring of blood that day that the victors were swimming in blood up to their mounts. All the Saracens who were found in the city were killed.

Behold, Charlemagne fought against Aigoland in defense of the Christian faith, and he killed him. This proves that the Christian religion surpasses all other rites and religions of the world in its goodness. It surpasses all and rises above the angels. O Christian, if you keep this in your heart and perform your works to the best of your ability, you will be exalted above the angels with your head, Jesus Christ, of whom you are a member. If you wish to ascend, believe firmly, for all things are possible for one who believes, says the Lord.

Then Charlemagne, after regrouping his armies, rejoiced at such a great triumph and reached Puente Arga, on the road to Santiago, and camped there.

Then some Christians, coveting the spoils of the dead, retreated that night, unbeknownst to Charlemagne, to the battlefield where the corpses lay, and laden with gold and silver and various treasures, they began their return to Charlemagne. Then Almanzor of Córdoba, who with other Saracens who had fled the battle was hiding in the mountains, killed them all, and not one of them remained. And the number of those killed was almost a thousand.

These, then, represent a type of Christ's warriors. For just as they, after conquering their enemies, returned to the corpses out of greed and were killed by their enemies, so too should some faithful who have overcome their vices and received absolution not return to the corpses, that is, to vices, lest they be killed to a wretched end by their enemies, that is, by demons. And just as those who lost their present life and received a shameful death by retreating to plunder others, so too any religious person who has abandoned the world and then devotes himself to worldly affairs will lose heavenly life and bring upon himself eternal death.

The next day, Charlemagne was informed that a Navarrese prince named Furre wished to fight him in Monjardín. Upon Charlemagne's arrival at Monjardín, the prince prepared to engage him the following day. Consequently, on the eve of the battle, Charlemagne prayed to God to show him those Navarrese who would die in combat. The next day, when Charlemagne's armies were armed, the red silhouette of the Lord's cross appeared on the backs of the men who were dying, on their armor. Upon seeing this, Charlemagne hid them in his tent so they would not perish in battle. "How incomprehensible are the judgments of God and how inscrutable His ways!" What more can be said? After the battle, with Furre and three thousand Navarrese and Saracens dead, Charlemagne found those he had hidden as a precaution dead. And there were almost one hundred and fifty of them. Oh blessed troop of Christ's fighters! Though the persecutor's sword did not strike you down, you did not lose the palm of martyrdom. Then Charlemagne took the castle of Monjardín and all the land of Navarre.

Charlemagne was immediately informed that in Nájera there was a giant of the lineage of Goliath, named Ferragut, who had come from the lands of Syria, sent with twenty thousand Turks by the emir of Babylon to fight him. He feared neither lances nor arrows, and possessed the strength of forty strongmen. Therefore, Charlemagne went to Nájera at once.

As soon as Ferragut learned of their arrival, he left the city and challenged them to single combat, one knight against another. Charlemagne then sent him first the Dacian Ogier, whom the giant, as soon as he saw him alone in the field, approached slowly and with his right arm seized him, armor and all, and in full view of everyone, carried him lightly to the city, as if he were a gentle sheep. For he was almost twelve cubits tall, his face was almost a cubit long, his nose a span, his arms and legs four cubits, and his fingers three spans.

Then Charlemagne sent Reynaldos of Montalbán to fight him, and immediately, with one arm, took him to the prison in his city. Afterward, he sent Constantine the King of Rome and Count Hoel, and both at the same time, one on his right and the other on his left, he imprisoned. Finally, twenty warriors were sent, two by two, and he imprisoned them likewise. Seeing this, and amidst the general expectation, Charlemagne did not dare send anyone to fight him.

However, Roland, having barely obtained the king's permission, approached the giant, ready to fight him. But then the giant seized him with his right hand and placed him before him on his horse. And as they rode him toward the city, Roland, having regained his strength and trusting in the Lord, grabbed him by the beard and immediately threw him back on the horse, and both fell to the ground at the same time. And likewise, both rose from the ground immediately and mounted their horses. Then Roland, with his sword drawn, intending to kill the giant, cleaved his horse in two with a single blow. And as Ferragut was dismounted and hurled great threats at him while brandishing his drawn sword, Roland, with his own sword, struck the giant on the arm with which he wielded it and did not wound him, but knocked the sword from his hand. Then Ferragut, having lost his sword, believing he could strike Roland with a closed fist, struck his horse on the forehead, and the animal died instantly. Finally, on foot and without swords, they fought with their fists and stones until three in the afternoon.

At dusk, Ferragut obtained a truce from Roland until the following day. They then agreed that the next day they would both go to battle without horses or lances. Having agreed to the fight, each returned to his own quarters. At dawn the next day, they arrived on foot, each on his own, at the battlefield, as had been arranged. Ferragut brought his sword, but it was of no use to him, for Roland had brought a long, twisted staff with which he beat him all day long, yet he did not wound him. Until midday, and sometimes without Ferragut defending himself, he also struck him with large, round stones that were plentiful on the field, but he could not wound him in any way.

Then, having obtained a truce from Roland, Ferragut, overcome by sleep, began to slumber. And Roland, being the consummate knight he was, placed a stone beneath his head so that he might sleep more soundly. No Christian, therefore, not even Roland himself, dared to kill him then, for it was established among them that if a Christian granted a truce to a Saracen, or a Saracen to a Christian, no one would harm them. And if anyone disloyally broke the truce granted, he was killed immediately. Ferragut, then, when he had slept long enough, awoke, and Roland sat beside him and began to ask him how he was so strong and robust that he feared neither swords, stones, nor staves.

"Because I can only be hurt through my navel," replied the giant.

He spoke in Spanish, a language Rolando understood quite well. Then the giant began to look at Rolando and ask him:

–And what's your name?

–Rolando, he replied.

"What lineage are you from that you fight me so fiercely?" he asked.

And Rolando said: I am a native of the lineage of the Franks.

And Ferragut persisted: What religion are the Franks?

And Rolando answered: We are Christians, by the grace of God, and we are under the command of Christ, for whose faith we fight with all our strength.

Then, upon hearing the name of Christ, the Gentile said, “Who is this Christ in whom you believe?”

And Rolando exclaimed: The Son of God the Father, who was born of a virgin, suffered on the cross, was buried, rose from hell on the third day, and returned to the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

Then Ferragut replied: We believe that the Creator of heaven and earth is one God, and He had neither son nor father. That is to say, just as He was not begotten by anyone, neither did He beget anyone. Therefore, God is one and not triune.

“It is true,” said Rolando, “that He is one; but by saying that He is not triune, you stray from the faith. If you believe in the Father, believe in the Son and in the Holy Spirit. For the same God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet remaining one in three persons.”.

– If you say, Ferragut replied, that the Father is God, that the Son is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God, then there are three gods, which is not possible, and not just one God.

“Not at all,” Rolando replied, “but I affirm that God is one and triune. And indeed He is. All three persons are equally eternal and equal to one another. Like the Father, so are the Son and the Holy Spirit. In the persons lies the property, in the essence the unity, and in the majesty equality is worshipped. The angels in heaven worship the one and triune God, and Abraham saw three and worshipped one.”.

"Prove that to me," the giant retorted, "how three can be one.".

“I will demonstrate this to you,” said Roland, “with human examples. Just as in playing the zither there are three things—namely, the art, the strings, and the hands—and yet it is a zither, so too in God there are three—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—and yet He is one God. And just as in the almond there are three things—shell, skin, and kernel—and yet it is only one almond, in the same way in God there are three persons and one God. In the sun there are three—brightness, brilliance, and heat—and yet there is only one sun. In the chariot wheel there are three parts—namely, the hub, the spokes, and the pinion—and yet they form a single wheel. In yourself there are three elements—body, limbs, and soul—and yet you are one man. In the same way it follows that in God there is unity and trinity.”.

– Now, said Ferragut, I understand that God is one and triune, but I still don't know how the Father begot the Son, as you claim.

"Do you believe," Rolando asked, "that God created Adam?"

"I believe it," replied the giant.

– In the same way, then, said Rolando, that Adam was not begotten by anyone and yet begot children, so also God the Father was not begotten by anyone and yet, by divine work, before the beginning of time, ineffably begot from himself, as he willed, the Son.

And the giant said: I agree with what you say; but I do not understand at all how he who was God became a man.

– The same God who created heaven, earth, and all things from nothing, Rolando replied, made his Son become incarnate in a virgin, not by the work of man, but by his Holy Spirit.

– I don't quite understand, replied the giant, how without the work of a man he could have been born, as you say, from the womb of a virgin.

And Rolando said to him: God, who created Adam without the need of another man, caused his Son to be born of a virgin without the intervention of any man. And as he was born of God the Father without a mother, in the same way he was born of a mother without a human father. For such is the birth worthy of God.

"I can hardly understand without blushing," the giant replied, "how a virgin could conceive without the intervention of a man.".

“He,” Rolando replied, “who causes the weevil to be born in the bean pod and the worm in the tree and in the mud, and who causes many fish and birds, bees and snakes to have offspring without the intervention of a male—He also caused an untouched virgin to conceive the God-man without human intervention. He who, as I said, made the first man without need of another, could easily cause his Son, made man, to be born of a virgin without the intervention of a man.”.

"It may well be," said Ferragut, "that he was born of a virgin, but if he was the son of God, he could in no way, as you claim, die on the cross. He may, as you say, have been born, but if he was God, he could not at all have died, for God never dies.".

“Well said,” replied Rolando, “he could have been born of a virgin. Then, as a man, he was born. Yes, as a man, for everyone who is born dies. If we must believe in his Nativity, we must consequently believe in his death and Resurrection.”.

"Why," exclaimed Ferragut, "must we believe in his Resurrection?"

– Because, said Rolando, he who is born, dies; and he who dies rises again on the third day.

Then the giant was greatly amazed to hear this, and said to him:

– Rolando, why are you telling me such nonsense? It's impossible for a dead man to come back to life.

“Not only the Son of God,” Rolando replied, “rose from the dead, but all men who have existed from beginning to end will rise before His judgment seat and receive the reward of their merits, according to whether each has done good or evil. The same God who makes the small tree grow tall and makes the dead and rotten grain of wheat revive, grow, and bear fruit in the earth will cause all, with their own flesh and spirit, to rise from death to life on the day of judgment. Compare the mysterious nature of the lion. If the lion revives its dead cubs with its breath after three days, why be surprised if God the Father raised His Son from the dead on the third day? And if the Son of God returned to life, it should not seem new to you, since many dead also returned to life before His Resurrection.” If Elijah and Elisha rose from the dead easily, many dead before him, he easily rose from the dead, and could not, in any way, be held by death, for death itself flees from Him at whose voice a multitude of the dead were raised.

Then Ferragut said: I am beginning to understand what you are saying, but I still don't know how he was able to enter the heavens, as you said.

“He who easily descended from heaven,” Rolando said, “easily ascended to heaven. He who easily resurrected himself, with equal ease entered heaven. Compare these various examples. Consider the mill wheel: as much as it descends from the heights to the depths, so much also rises from the depths to the heights. The bird that flies in the air rises as much as it descended. You yourself, if you have come down from a mountain, can easily return to the place from which you descended. The sun rose yesterday in the east and set in the west, and likewise today it rose again in the same place. Therefore, the Son of God returned to where he came from.”.

"Then," Ferragut concluded, "I will fight you, on the condition that if the faith you hold is true, I shall be defeated, and if it is false, you shall be. And may the people of the vanquished be eternally filled with shame, and the people of the victor, in turn, with eternal honor and glory.".

"So be it," Rolando agreed.

And so the battle resumed with greater vigor on both sides, and Roland immediately attacked the pagan. Then, Roland's staff being broken, the giant rushed at him and, catching him lightly, knocked him to the ground beneath him. At once Roland knew that he could no longer escape from him in any way, and he began to invoke the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary for help, and, thanks be to God, he raised himself a little and turned around under the giant, and seized his dagger, plunged it into the giant's navel, and escaped from him.

Then the giant began to invoke his god in a stentorian voice, saying: Muhammad, Muhammad, my god, help me, for I am dying. And immediately, the Saracens, responding to these cries, seized him and carried him in their arms toward the city. Roland, however, had already returned unharmed to his men. Then the Christians, together with the Saracens who were carrying Ferragut, launched a spirited attack on the citadel that stood above the town. And in this way the giant died, the city and the castle were taken, and the warriors were freed from prison.

Soon word reached our emperor that the king of Seville, Ebrahim, and Almanzor, who had previously escaped from the Battle of Pamplona, were waiting to fight him in Córdoba. Warriors from seven cities—Seville, Granada, Xàtiva, Dénia, Úbeda, Abla, and Baeza—had come to their aid. Charlemagne then resolved to go and fight them. Thus, as he approached Córdoba with his armies, he and his men marched out to confront the aforementioned kings, who were armed against him, three miles from the city. The Saracens numbered about ten thousand; our forces, on the other hand, around seven thousand.

Then Charlemagne divided his army into three divisions: the first composed of the most valiant knights, the second of the infantry, and the last of the remaining knights. The Saracens did the same. As they approached, at Charlemagne's command, the first squadron of our knights faced the first of the pagans. Before each of the pagan knights advanced two infantrymen wearing strange masks, which they banged loudly with their hands. No sooner had the horses of our warriors heard the shouts and noises of the Saracens and seen their terrible appearances than they began to flee in terror. They ran with the speed of an arrow, and before the warriors of our armies even saw the first one flee, they were all in flight.

Then the Saracens, in high spirits, pursued our men at a slow pace until we reached a hill almost two miles from the city. There, we all gathered together and took cover, awaiting them for battle. Seeing this, they retreated a little. We immediately pitched our tents and remained there until the following day. The next morning, after a decision had been made with all the warriors, Charlemagne ordered all the knights of our army to cover their horses' heads with cloths and bandanas so they would not see the masks of the infidels, and likewise to tightly plug their ears with heavy cloths so they would not hear the sound of the drums. Oh, great and admirable ingenuity! No sooner had the horses' eyes and ears been closed than they rode confidently into battle, disregarding the deceptive noises of the impious. Then all our men at once fought them without interruption from morning till night and killed many of them, but they could not yet completely defeat them. And all the Saracens were gathered together, and in their midst was a chariot. Then he cut down with his own sword the pole that held the standard, and at once all the Saracens began to flee, scattered in every direction. Immediately, amidst the general skirmish and the greatest shouting, eight thousand Saracens were killed, among them the king of Seville; and Almanzor, with two thousand Saracens, entered the city and fortified it. But finally defeated the next day, he surrendered the city to our emperor, on the condition of receiving baptism, submitting to the orders of Charlemagne, and considering it as belonging to him henceforth. These things having been done, Charlemagne distributed the lands and provinces of Spain to his knights and people, that is to say, to those who wished to remain in that land. He gave Navarre and the Basque Country to the Bretons, Castile to the Franks, the land of Nájera and Zaragoza to the Greeks and Italians in our army, Aragon to the Poitevins, Andalusia by the sea to the Teutons, and Portugal to the Dacians and Flemings. The Franks refused to settle in Galicia because it seemed too rugged. After that, no one in Spain dared to fight Charlemagne.

Then, having disbanded his largest armies, Charlemagne went to the land of Santiago in Spain and converted the inhabitants he found there to Christianity; for those who returned to the infidelity of the Saracens he either put to the sword or banished to Gaul. He then established bishops and priests in the cities, and, convening a council of bishops and princes in the city of Compostela, decreed, out of love for Saint James, that all Christian prelates, princes, and kings, both Spanish and Galician, present and future, should obey the Bishop of Santiago. In Iria he did not establish a bishop because he did not consider it a city, but rather ordered it to be a town subject to the See of Compostela. Then, at the same council, I, Turpin, Archbishop of Reims, at Charlemagne's request, magnificently consecrated the basilica and altar of Saint James with sixty bishops. And the king subjected all the lands of Spain and Galicia to the same church, and gave them to it as a dowry, ordering that every owner of any house in all of Spain and Galicia should give four coins annually, and be freed from all servitude by the king's decree. And in it, the councils of the bishops of all Spain should be held frequently; and in honor of the Apostle of the Lord, the episcopal staffs and royal crowns should be bestowed by the bishop of that same city. And if in other cities, due to the sins of the people, the faith or the precepts of the Lord should be lacking, they should be reconciled there with the counsel of the same bishop. And it is rightly granted that the faith should be reconciled and established in that venerable church, because in the same way that by Saint John the Evangelist, brother of James, the faith of Christ and an apostolic see were established in the East in Ephesus, so too in the western part of the Kingdom of God, by James, the same faith and an apostolic see were established in Galicia. These are undoubtedly the apostolic sees: Ephesus, which is on the right in the earthly kingdom of Christ, and Compostela, which is on the left, sees that, in the division of the provinces, correspond to these two sons of Zebedee. For they had asked the Lord to sit in his kingdom, one at his right hand, the other at his left.

Three principal apostolic sees are rightly venerated by Christendom throughout the world: Rome, Galicia, and Ephesus. For just as the Lord distinguished three apostles—Peter, James, and John—to whom He revealed His designs more clearly than to the others, as is recorded in the Gospels, so too He determined that these three sees should be revered above all others in the world because of them. And it is rightly said that these are the principal sees, for just as these three apostles surpassed the others in dignity, so too the sacred places where they preached and were buried should rightly surpass all the sees of the entire world in the excellence of their dignity. Rome is rightly considered the first apostolic see, for Peter, the prince of the apostles, consecrated it with his preaching, his own blood, and his burial. Compostela is rightly considered the second see, because Saint James, who was the greatest of the apostles after Saint Peter, by virtue of his special dignity, honor, and stature, and who holds primacy over them in Heaven, first sanctified it with his preaching in ancient times, and, crowned with martyrdom, consecrated it with his most holy burial, and now graces it with his miracles and continues to enrich it with his enduring blessings. Indeed, it is said that the third see is Ephesus, because Saint John the Evangelist composed his Gospel there, which begins "In principio erat verbum," in a council of the bishops whom he himself had established in the other cities, whom he also calls angels in his Apocalypse, and he consecrated it with his preaching and miracles, with the basilica he built there, and even with his own burial. If, therefore, some divine or human matters cannot, due to their gravity, be resolved in other parts of the world, then in these three places they must rightly be addressed and defined. Thus, Galicia, freed very soon from Saracens, by the grace of God and Saint James and with the help of Charlemagne, remains distinguished to this day in the Christian faith.

And there was King Charlemagne, with brown hair, a ruddy complexion, a well-proportioned and handsome body, but with a terrible gaze. He stood eight feet tall, but his own feet were very long. He was very broad-shouldered, well-proportioned in waist and belly, with thick arms and legs, all of them very strong limbs. He was a most daring soldier and very skilled in combat. His face was a hand and a half long, his beard one hand, and his nose almost half a hand. His forehead measured a foot, and his eyes, like those of a lion, shone like embers. His eyebrows were half a hand long. Any man whom he, in a fit of rage, looked upon with his wide eyes, was instantly terrified. No one could remain calm before his tribunal if he looked at them with his piercing gaze. The belt he wore was eight hand spans long, not counting what hung from it. He ate little bread at his meals, but he would eat a quarter of a mutton, or two hens, or a goose, or else a loin of pork, or a turkey, or a crane, or a whole hare. He drank little wine, but rather, sparingly, water. He was so strong that with his sword he could cleave an armed knight—an enemy, of course—on horseback, from head to saddle with a single blow. He could effortlessly straighten four horseshoes at once with his bare hands. He could swiftly lift an armed knight, standing on his palm, from the ground to his head with one hand. And he was very generous in his favors, very upright in his judgments, and eloquent in his words. While his court was primarily in Spain, he wore the royal crown and scepter only on four solemn occasions a year: Christmas Day, Easter Day, Pentecost Day, and St. James' Day. Before his throne, he placed a drawn sword, in the imperial manner. Every night there were always one hundred and twenty valiant Christians around his bed to guard him, forty of whom—namely, ten at the head, ten at the foot, ten to the right, and ten to the left—kept watch at the beginning of the night, holding a drawn sword in their right hand and a lit candle in their left. Another forty kept watch in the same way. And likewise, another forty kept watch for the third watch of the night, while the rest slept.

Perhaps some might enjoy hearing more details of his great deeds, but recounting them is a vast and daunting undertaking for me. I cannot describe how Galafre, Emir of Toledo, knighted him in the palace of Toledo when, as a child, he was exiled in that city, nor how Charlemagne himself, out of friendship for Galafre, killed Bramante, the great and proud Saracen king and Galafre's enemy, in battle, nor how he conquered various lands and the cities that graced them, and subjected them to the name of God, nor how he established many abbeys and churches throughout the world, nor how he placed the bodies and relics of many saints in reliquaries of gold and silver, exhuming them from their tombs, nor how he brought back the wood of the cross, which he distributed among many churches. My hand and pen would sooner tire than his story. Nevertheless, I will briefly recount how he returned from Spain to Gaul after the liberation of Galicia.

After the most famous Emperor Charlemagne conquered all of Spain in those days for the glory of the Lord and his apostle James, on his return from Spain, he stopped with his armies in Pamplona. And there lived then in Zaragoza two Saracen kings, namely, Marsilio and his brother Beligand, sent to Spain from Persia by the emir of Babylon. They were subject to Charlemagne's empire and served him willingly in all things, but with feigned loyalty. And Charlemagne ordered them through Ganelon to receive baptism or send him tribute. So they sent him thirty horses laden with gold and silver and Spanish treasures, and forty horses laden with the sweetest and purest wine for his knights to drink, and a thousand beautiful Saracen women for his pleasure. Ganelon, however, was fraudulently offered twenty horses laden with gold, silver, and precious fabrics so that he would deliver the knights into his hands to be killed. And he agreed and received the money. Thus, having agreed between them to the wicked pact of betrayal, Ganelon returned to Charlemagne and gave him the treasures that the kings had sent him, saying that Marsilius wished to become a Christian and was preparing his journey to Gaul to join Charlemagne, and that there he would receive baptism and henceforth rule all the land of Spain in his name.

The noblest knights accepted only the wine, but by no means the women: but the lesser men took them. Then Charlemagne, believing Ganelon's words, decided to cross the passes of Cize and return to Gaul. Then, on Ganelon's advice, he sent his favorites, his nephew Roland, Count of Le Mans and Blaye, and Oliver, Count of Gennes, to form the rearguard at Roncesvalles with the noblest knights and twenty thousand Christians, while Charlemagne himself crossed the aforementioned passes with the other armies. And so it was done. But because on the preceding nights, some, drunk on Saracen wine, fornicated with pagan women and also with the Christian women whom many had brought with them from Gaul, they brought death upon themselves. What more could be said? While Charlemagne, with twenty thousand Christians, and Ganelon and Turpin crossed the passes, and the aforementioned formed the rearguard, Marsilius and Beligand, with fifty thousand Saracens, emerged at dawn from the woods and hills where, on Ganelon's advice, they had been hiding for two days and two nights, and divided their forces into two groups: one of twenty thousand and the other of thirty thousand. The twenty thousand began by suddenly attacking our men from the rear. Our men immediately turned against them, fighting them from dawn until nine o'clock; all fell. Not one of the twenty thousand escaped. At once, the other thirty thousand attacked our men, exhausted and worn down by such a great battle, and killed them all, from the first to the last. Not one of the twenty thousand Christians was spared. Some were pierced with lances, others beheaded with swords, some split by axes, others riddled with arrows and javelins, some felled to death by clubs, others flayed alive with knives, others burned at the stake, and still others hanged from trees. There all the knights died except Roland, Baldwin, Turpin, Thedric, and Ganelon. Baldwin and Thedric, scattered throughout the mountains, first hid and then fled. Then the Saracens retreated a league.

One might now ask why the Lord allowed those who had not committed fornication with women to die alongside those who had become drunk and fornicated. Truly, the Lord allowed those who had neither become drunk nor fornicated to die because He did not want them to return to their homeland lest they incur sins. For He desired to grant them, through their labors, the crown of the heavenly kingdom by means of their death. He allowed those who had committed fornication to die because He desired to blot out their sins through their death in battle. And it should not be said that the most merciful God did not reward the past labors of those who, in their last hour, invoked His name, confessing their sins. Although they committed fornication, they nevertheless died for the name of Christ. Therefore, it is no longer permitted for those who go into battle to take their wives or other women with them. For some earthly princes, such as Darius and Antony, marched into battle in ancient times accompanied by their wives, and both died in battle: Darius defeated by Alexander, Antony by Octavian Augustus. Therefore, no one is allowed to take a woman into the army because she is a hindrance to both body and soul. Those who became drunk and fornicated represent the priests and men who fight against vice, who are not permitted to become intoxicated and in no way to cohabit with women. For if they do so habitually, perhaps having also fallen into other vices, they will unfortunately be killed by their enemies, that is, by demons, and taken to hell.

So, when the battle was over, Roland returned alone toward the pagans to scout, and while he was still some distance from them, he found a black Saracen, wounded in the battle, hiding in the woods. After capturing him alive, he tied him tightly to a tree with four ropes. Then he climbed a hill and observed them, seeing that they were many, and returned along the road to Roncesvalles, the way those who wished to cross the pass were going. Then he sounded his ivory trumpet, at which sound about a hundred Christians gathered around him. With them, he returned through the woods to the Saracens, to the one he had left tied up, and promptly untied him. He raised his naked sword above his head, saying, "If you come with me and show me Marsilius, I will let you go alive; if not, I will kill you." For Roland did not yet know Marsilius. The Saracen then marched with him and pointed out Marsilius, with his chestnut horse and round shield, among the Saracen armies in the distance. Roland then released him and, emboldened by God's help, having regained his strength, he charged the Saracens with his men. He saw one among them who was taller than the others, and with a single blow of his own sword, he cleaved him and his horse in two, from top to bottom, so that one part of the Saracen and his horse fell to the right and the other to the left. When the Saracens saw this, abandoning Marsilius with a few others on the battlefield, they began to flee in all directions. Roland, trusting in divine power, immediately plunged into the ranks of the Saracens, cutting them down on the right and left, and caught up with the fleeing Marsilius, and with God's mighty help, killed him among the others. On that occasion, Roland's hundred companions, whom he had brought with him, died in the same battle, and Roland himself was wounded by four lance thrusts and severely beaten with stones. No sooner had Beligand learned of Marsilius's death than he abandoned those lands with the Saracens. Tedricus, Baldwin, and some other Christians, as we have already mentioned, were hiding, scattered and terrified throughout the forest, while others crossed the mountain passes. But Charlemagne and his armies had already crossed the peaks and were unaware of what had transpired behind him.

Then Roland, weary from such a great battle, lamenting the death of the Christians and so many heroes, anguished by the grievous wounds and blows he had received from the Saracens, made his way alone through the forest to the foot of the Cize pass. There, beneath a tree and beside a marble crag that rose in a pleasant meadow above Roncesvalles, he dismounted. He still had with him one of his swords, exquisitely crafted, with a powerful edge, unyielding strength, and gleaming with its intense brilliance, called Durendal. This name is interpreted as "with it he strikes hard blows," or as "he strikes the Saracen hard with it," for it cannot be broken in any way. His arm will fail him before the sword. And having drawn it and holding it in his hand, he exclaimed in a voice choked with tears, as he gazed upon it:

– Oh! most beautiful sword, of undimmed brilliance, of harmonious proportions and unyielding strength, with a snow-white ivory hilt, a splendid gold cross and gilded surface; adorned with a beryl pommel and sculpted with the endearing legend of the and the Emblem of the immense name of God; with a well-tested point and haloed with divine virtue, who will henceforth use your strength? Who will possess you next? Who will have you and be your master? Whoever possesses you will not be vanquished, will not be astonished, nor will they show timidity for fear of enemies; they will not be frightened by any fantasy, but will always trust in the protection of God, and will be assisted by divine aid. You destroy the Saracens, you kill the infidel people, you exalt the Christian religion, and you procure the praise of God and the glory and fame of all. Oh! How many times with your help I defended the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, how many times I killed enemies of Christ, how many Saracens I stabbed, and how many Jews and other infidels I destroyed to exalt the Christian faith. You fulfill the justice of God and tear from the body the foot and the hand accustomed to theft. As many times with your help have I taken the life of a treacherous Jew or a Saracen, as many times do I think I have avenged the blood of Christ. Oh, most fortunate sword, with your swift thrust, which never had an equal nor will ever have one in the future. He who forged you never before or since made another like it. Never could anyone be wounded by you survive. It pains me greatly if you were to fall into the hands of a coward or a weakling, and even more so if you were to be touched by an infidel or a Saracen. And after these words, for fear that it would fall into the hands of the Saracens, he struck the marble crag three times with it, intending to destroy it. But what else? The rock split in two, from top to bottom, and the double-edged sword remained intact.

Then he began to fill the air with the loud sounds of his trumpet, in case any of the Christians who, fearing the Saracens, were hiding in the woods, would join him, or in case those who had already crossed the passes and witnessed his death would return to his side, take up his sword and horse, and pursue the Saracens to fight them. Then he played his ivory trumpet with such fervor and force that it is said the trumpet split in two from the violence of his breath, and the veins and nerves in his neck ruptured. And its sound then reached, carried by angels, the ears of Charlemagne, who with his army had halted at Valcarlos, a place eight miles from Roland in the direction of Gascony. Charlemagne wished to return immediately to Roland's side to help him, but Ganelon, an accomplice in Roland's death, told him: "Do not return, my king and lord, for Roland is accustomed to playing his trumpet every day for any reason. Rest assured that he does not need your help now, but rather, out of love for hunting, Roland is chasing some wild beast through the woods, playing his trumpet." Oh, deceitful reply! Oh, wicked counsel of Ganelon, comparable to the treachery of Judas! And as Roland lay on the grass of a meadow, longing desperately for a stream to quench his thirst, Baldwin arrived and instructed him to bring him water. When Baldwin searched everywhere for water and found none, seeing Roland near death, he blessed him and, fearing to fall into the hands of the Saracens, mounted his horse and, abandoning them, rode after Charlemagne's army. And when he left, Tedricus immediately arrived and began to weep for him greatly, telling him to strengthen his soul with the faith of confession.

Rolando had received Holy Communion and absolution from a priest that very day, before going into battle. For it was the custom for all soldiers to strengthen their souls with Holy Communion and confession received from the priests, bishops, and monks who were there fighting. Then, raising his eyes to heaven, Rolando, martyr of Christ, said:

– My Lord Jesus Christ, for whose faith I left my homeland, came to these barbarian lands to exalt Christianity, won, protected by your help, many battles against the infidels, and endured countless blows, misfortunes, many wounds, reproaches, mockery, fatigue, heat, cold, hunger, thirst, and anxieties: at this hour I commend my soul to you. As you deigned to be born of a Virgin for me, to suffer on the cross, to die, to be buried, to rise from hell on the third day, and as you willed to ascend to heaven, which you never left with the real presence of your spirit, so also deign to deliver my soul from eternal death. I confess that I am guilty and a sinner, more than words can express; But You, most merciful dispenser of all sins, who have compassion on all and hate nothing You have made, and who, overlooking the sins of those who return to You, eternally consign to oblivion the crimes of the sinner on the day he turns to You and repents; You, who forgave the Nivites, let go the woman caught in adultery, forgave Mary Magdalene, and absolved Peter at his tears, and opened the gates of paradise to the good thief upon his confession, do not deny me forgiveness of my sins. Forgive all that is sinful in me and deign to comfort my soul with eternal rest. For You are He for whom our bodies do not perish at death, but are transformed into something better; You who separate our soul from the body and send it to a better life; You who said that You prefer the life of the sinner to his death. I believe inwardly, and publicly confess, that you wish to take my soul from this life so that, after my death, it may live in a better one. It will truly have better senses and intelligence than it does now. In heaven, it will possess qualities as much better as a shadow differs from a man.

Then he grasped his own flesh with his hands at the level of his chest and heart, as Tedrico himself later recounted, and began to say with tearful groans:

– My Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God and of the Holy Virgin Mary, with all my heart I confess and believe that You, my Redeemer, live, and that on the last day I will rise from the earth, and that with this same flesh I will see You, my God and Savior.

And gripping his still-lacerating flesh firmly with his hands, he said three times:

– And with this same flesh I will see my God and Savior. And he put his hands over his eyes, and in the same way said three times:

And these same eyes will see him. And opening them again, he began to look at the sky, strengthening all his limbs and his chest with the sign of the holy cross, and saying:

Everything earthly loses its value for me; for now, with the grace of God, I see what the eye cannot see, what the ear cannot perceive, and what the heart of man cannot grasp—what God has prepared for those who love him.

Finally, raising his hands to the Lord, he also prayed for those who died in the aforementioned battle, saying:

– May your mercy move, O Lord, upon your faithful who have died in battle today. From distant lands they came to these barbarian lands to fight the infidel people, to exalt your holy name, to avenge your precious blood, and to proclaim your faith. Now, therefore, they lie dead for you at the hands of the Saracens; but you, O Lord, mercifully cleanse their stains and deign to deliver their souls from the torments of hell. Send them your holy archangels to draw their souls from the place of darkness and lead them to the heavenly kingdom, so that with your holy martyrs they may reign eternally with you, who live and reign with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

And then, as Tedrico walked away, with this confession and these prayers, the happy soul of the blessed martyr Roland left his body and was carried by the angels to eternal rest, where he reigns and rejoices forever, united by the dignity of his merits to the choirs of holy martyrs.

It is not appropriate to weep with vain lamentations for man

That through his death he went to dwell in the heavenly mansion.

Noble of ancient lineage through parents and grandparents,

More so because of his own actions regarding the stars.

Most distinguished and second to no one because of his nobility.

Because of his illustrious life, he was always first.

A cultivator of the temples, his singing was pleasing to the people,

And it was an effective remedy for the nation's ills.

Life of the clergy, guardian of widows and bread for the poor,

He was generous to the poor, generous with guests.

He spent so much on holy churches and so much on the poor,

To send gold to heaven, which I would pursue.

With the doctrine in their hearts, like a chest full of books,

As from a living spring, everyone could drink.

Wise in counsel, pious of soul, and serene in speech,

That out of love he would be the father of the whole world.

Glorious summit and sacred ornament and fruitful luminary,

In the prize for which all virtue competes.

And that for such merits he was taken to heavenly glory,

He does not dwell in the grave, but dwells in the house of God.

Well, what else? While the soul of the blessed martyr Roland was leaving his body, and I, Turpin, in the place of Valcarlos, was celebrating, with the king in attendance, the requiem mass on that very same day, that is to say, June 16th, rapt in ecstasy, I saw choirs singing in the sky, without knowing what it was. And when they crossed the heavens, behold, behind them passed before me a formation of black warriors, who seemed to be returning from a raid and carrying the spoils, whom I immediately asked:

– What are you carrying? – they said – we are taking Marsilio to hell; your hero, along with many others, is being taken to heaven by Saint Michael.

Then, after the mass had been celebrated, I quickly said to the king:

"Truly, Your Majesty, know that the soul of Roland, along with the souls of many other Christians, is carried to Heaven by the Archangel Michael, but I know absolutely nothing of the death by which he died. And yet, the demons carry to the fiery depths of Hell the soul of a certain Marsilius, along with those of many wicked men.".

As he was saying this, Baldwin appeared on Roland's horse and told us everything that had happened, and that he had left Roland lying dying beside a crag on the mountain. And then, as they all turned back, amidst a tremendous uproar from the whole army, Charlemagne was the first to discover Roland lifeless, lying face up, with his arms crossed over his chest; and throwing himself upon him, he began to weep with pitiful moans and incomparable sobs and countless sighs, beating his hands, scratching his face with his nails, tearing at his beard and hair, and he could not utter a word. And he said, weeping loudly:

– Oh! right arm of my body, finest beard, pride of the Gauls, sword of justice, unyielding lance, incorruptible armor, shield of salvation, comparable in virtue to Judas Maccabeus, like Samson, similar to Saul and Jonathan in the fortune of your just death, valiant paladin, the most skilled in combat, the strongest among the strong, of royal lineage, destroyer of the Saracens, defender of the Christians, bulwark of the clergy, staff of the orphans, support of the widows, support of the poor and the rich, solace of the churches, tongue incapable of ever lying, leader of the Gauls, captain of the Christian armies, why do I not die with you? Why do I see you dead? Why do you leave me sad and useless? Woe is me! What shall I do? Live with the angels, rejoicing with the choirs of martyrs, be glad with all the saints. I will mourn you eternally, as David mourned for Saul, Jonathan, and Adsalom, and grieved for them.

Your return to the homeland leaves us in a sad world;

You will dwell in the light while we weep here.

With six lustrums of a good life and also eight years,

Snatched from the ground, you return to the stars.

Upon returning as a guest to the paradisiacal tables,

What the world groans, heaven rejoices in honor.

With these words and others like them, Charlemagne mourned Roland while he lived. And then, on the very spot where Roland lay dead, Charlemagne established his camp that night with his army, and anointed the lifeless body with balm, myrrh, and aloe, and all honorably celebrated grand obsequies with songs, weeping, and prayers, around which lights and fires blazed throughout the woods all that night.

At dawn the next day, they marched, armed, to the site of the battle where the warriors of Roncesvalles lay dead. Each found his friend there, some completely lifeless, others still alive but mortally wounded. Oliver, who had passed from this life to a better one, was found lying on the ground, stretched out in the shape of a cross with four stakes fixed in the earth, tightly bound with four ropes, flayed with very sharp knives from his neck to his fingernails and toenails, pierced by arrows, darts, spears, and swords, and brutally beaten and bruised. The clamor, the weeping, and the cries of those who mourned were immense, for each man wept for his friend. Their cries filled the entire forest and valley. Then the king swore by the Almighty King that he would not cease pursuing the pagans until he found them. Then, as he and his army pursued them, the sun stood still, and that day stretched on for almost three days. He found them by the river called the Ebro, resting and eating near Zaragoza. After killing four thousand of them, our king returned with his men to Roncesvalles.

But what else? Once the dead, sick, and wounded had been brought to the place where Roland lay, Charlemagne began to investigate whether or not it was true that Ganelon had betrayed the warriors, as many claimed. He immediately set two armed knights to fight and determine the truth or falsehood of this on the battlefield, in full view of everyone: Pinabel for Ganelon and Tedric for himself; and the latter immediately killed Pinabel. And thus, with Ganelon's treachery proven, Charlemagne ordered that he be tied to the four wildest horses in the entire army and dragged around at once and quartered. He was immediately tied to four horses, and each horse was mounted by a squire who spurred them on. One, spurring his horse, dragged part of his body eastward; another similarly dragged another part westward; a third northward, and the last southward. And so Ganelon died, torn to pieces.

Then their respective friends perfumed the bodies of the dead with different scents. Some diligently anointed them with myrrh, others with balm, others with salt. Anyone who saw how many opened the bodies of many, cleaning out the excrement, and, having no other perfumes, filled them with salt, would weep with a broken heart.

Some made wooden coffins to transport them, others carried them on horses, some on their backs, others by hand, and still others carried the wounded and sick on stretchers on their shoulders. Some were buried right there, others were taken to Gaul or to their own place, and still others were carried until they began to decompose, and then they were buried.

And there were at that time two principally sacred cemeteries, one near Arles, at Aliscamps, and the other at Bordeaux, which the Lord consecrated through the hands of the seven holy bishops Maximinus of Aix; Trophimus of Arles; Paulus of Narbonne; Saturninus of Toulouse; Fronton of Périgueux; Martial of Limoges; and Eutropius of Saintes, in which most of those who died were buried. And those who died without a sword wound at the Battle of Montjardin were buried in these cemeteries, anointed with perfumes.

Charlemagne brought the blessed Roland, carried in a golden coffin on two mules and draped in rich cloths, to Blaye, and honorably buried him in the church of Saint Romanus, which he himself had once built and in which he had established canons regular; and hung his sword at his head and his ivory trumpet at his feet, for the honor of Christ and his honorable army. But someone later unworthily moved the trumpet to the church of Saint Severinus in Bordeaux. Happy is the wealthy city of Blaye, which is honored by such a great guest, rejoices in the comfort of his body, and is strengthened by his aid!

In Berlin were buried Oliver, Gandebod, King of Frisia, Ogier, King of Dacia, Arestian, King of Brittany, Garin, Duke of Lorraine, and many others. Happy is the small town of Berlin, where so many heroes lie! In Bordeaux, in the cemetery of Saint Severin, were buried Gaiferus, King of Bourges, Gelero, Gelinus, Reynalds of Montalbán, Walter of Termes, William, Bergon, and five thousand others. Count Hoel, with many other Bretons, was buried in Nantes, his city. Thus these heroes were buried and their remains distributed in Nantes, their city. Thus these heroes were buried and twelve ounces of silver and as many talents of gold, as well as clothes and food, were distributed to the poor for the salvation of their souls. Charlemagne, remembering Judas Maccabee, for the love of Roland, gave in allodial ownership for the needs of the same church all the land that extended for six miles around the church of Saint Roman of Blaye and the whole city of Blaye with all that belongs to it, and even the sea that is next to it; And he commanded the canons that henceforth they should render no further duties of servitude to any human being, but only, for the repose of the soul of his nephew and his companions, every year on the day of their death, they should clothe thirty poor people with all the necessary garments and give them food, and that all the canons, both present and future, should diligently and devoutly sing thirty psalters and as many masses with vespers and the other complete offices for the dead every year on the day before their feast day, not only for them, but also for all those in Spain who had received martyrdom or might receive it in the future for the love of God, so that their crowns might merit to share in glory. And they promised under oath that this would be done.

Then Charlemagne and I, leaving Blaye with some of our forces and marching through Gascony towards Toulouse, proceeded to Arles. There we met the Burgundian armies, who had separated from us at Ostabat and had come by way of Morlaàs and Toulouse with their dead and wounded, whom they had brought there on horseback, in litters, and in chariots to bury them in the cemetery of Aliscamps. In it, we buried with our own hands Stult, Count of Langres; Solomon; Samson, Duke of Burgundy; Arnold of Belanda; Alberic the Burgundian; Guinardus; Sthurmitus; Aton; Tedricus; Yvorio; Berad of Nublis; Berenguer; and Naimo, Duke of Bavaria, along with ten thousand others. The prefect Constantine, transported by sea, was buried in Rome with many other Romans and Apulians. And for their souls Charlemagne gave to the poor in Arñés twelve thousand ounces of silver and as many talents of gold.

After this, we went together to Vienna, where I remained, weary from the scars of my wounds, from the blows, bruises, and many calamities I had endured in Spain. The king, somewhat weakened, departed with his armies for Paris. Then, a council of bishops and princes convened in the Basilica of Saint Denis, in thanksgiving for God's strength in defeating the pagan peoples. He bequeathed all of France to his church, just as the Apostle Saint Paul and Pope Clement had previously offered it to Saint Denis for his apostolate. He commanded that all kings and bishops of France, present and future, should obey the shepherd of his church in Christ, and that no kings should be crowned without his counsel. He then bestowed numerous gifts upon the same church, ordering that the owners of every house throughout Gaul should annually contribute four silver coins for the church's construction, and he freed all the serfs who voluntarily gave this amount. Then, standing beside the body of Saint Dionysius, he implored him to raise his prayers to the Lord for the salvation of those who gladly gave that money, and also for the Christians who had abandoned their possessions for the love of God and in Spain had received the crown of martyrdom in the wars with the Saracens. Thus, the following night, while the king slept, Saint Dionysius appeared to him and woke him, saying: “I have obtained from the Lord the forgiveness of all their sins for those who, encouraged by your counsel and the example of your goodness, have died or will die in the wars with the Saracens in Spain, and for those who have given or will give money for the construction of my church, the healing of their most grievous wound.”.

Having heard this from the king, the people gladly gave the money promised under his most beneficial pledge, and whoever gave it most willingly was called everywhere a Frank of Saint Denis, because by the king's order he was freed from all servitude. From this arose the custom of calling the land formerly known as Gaul "France," meaning free from all servitude to foreign peoples. Therefore, the Frank is considered free, because honor and power are due to him above all other peoples. Then King Charlemagne went to Aachen in the lands of Liège and built in that city baths that were constantly warm and supplied with hot and cold water, and he fittingly adorned the Church of Saint Mary, which he had built there, with gold, silver, and all ecclesiastical ornaments. He ordered that it be decorated with stories from the Old and New Testaments, and likewise that the palace he had also built next to it be painted with various allegorical scenes. The battles he himself won in Spain and the seven liberal arts were admirably represented, among other things:

Namely, Grammar, which is the mother of all the arts, through which all divine and human writings are known, which teaches how many and which letters should be used and with which letter to write, and which letters should be assigned to each part and syllable, and where diphthongs should be placed, as shown by the two books of orthography that are considered the foremost among all others. Orthography is the science of correct writing; for the Greek ortho In Latin it is said rectus; graphia, scripture . By this art the readers of the Holy Church understand what they read; and he who is ignorant of it certainly reads, but by no means fully understands, like one who does not have the key to the treasure and does not know what is hidden inside.

There, Music is represented, which is the science of singing well and correctly, and with which the divine services of the Church are celebrated and adorned, and for which reason it is held in the highest esteem. With this art, then, the singers in the Church sing and play. One who is ignorant of it may certainly bellow like an ox, but cannot understand the modes and tones of the voice. Like one who draws lines with a crooked ruler on parchment, so does one produce one's voice. And it must be known that singing does not conform to the music if it is not written in four lines. Through this art, too, the ten-stringed psaltery and the zither, with the long trumpets and cymbals, with the timpani, the choir, and the organ. All musical instruments were made through it. This art was originally created by the divine voices and songs of the angels. For who can doubt that the voices of those who sing in church before the altar of Christ, uttered with sweetness, mingle in heaven with those of the angels? For the book of the sacraments says: «We beseech you to receive our songs united with theirs,» that is, with those of the angels. From earth to the ears of the Supreme King rises the voice of those who sing worthily. In this art are contained great secrets and mysteries. For the four lines on which it is written and the eight notes in which it is contained signify the four virtues: prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice, and the eight beatitudes with which our soul is strengthened and adorned.

In the king's palace, Dialectic is represented, which teaches how to distinguish truth from falsehood, how to argue, how to discuss the nature of words, how to confound fools, and how to make the wise eloquent. If you firmly plant your foot there, they will not force you to withdraw.

Rhetoric teaches how to speak wisely and appropriately, calmly, clearly, and correctly. Rhetos in Greek means eloquent. For the art makes fruitful and eloquent those who know it.

There, Geometry is depicted, which is the measurement of the earth; for earth is called ge in Greek; measurement, meters. This art teaches how to measure the spaces of lands, mountains, valleys, and seas, miles and leagues. And he who fully understands it, upon seeing the extent of any region, land, place, field, province, or city, knows in how many fathoms, feet, or miles of length and width it can be measured. By means of it, the senators measured, when building, Rome and the other ancient cities, and the boundary markers and roads from city to city, and in former times the children of Israel measured, with the measure of the distribution, the width and length of the promised lands. Farmers also make use of it, despite their ignorance, to measure and work the lands and vineyards, the meadows, the forests, and the fields.

Arithmetic, which deals with the numbers of all things, is also represented. One who fully masters it, upon seeing a tower or a high wall, knows how many stones it contains, or how many drops of water are in a vessel, or how many coins are in a pile, or how many men or thousands of men are in an army. Even without formal knowledge, stonemasons use it when building tall towers and walls.

The play depicts Astronomy, the observation of the stars, through which good and bad events, both past and present, occurring elsewhere, and even future, are known. Those who fully master it foresee what will happen when they wish to travel or undertake something significant. It was through astronomy that the senators in Rome learned of the deaths of men and the wars waged in foreign lands. It was also through astronomy that the Magi and Herod, upon the appearance of the star, learned of the birth of Christ.

Each of these seven arts has a daughter subject to it, that is, a treatise on it. Necromancy, from which pyromancy and hydromancy and the sacred, or rather execrated, book are derived, is not represented in the royal palace because it is not considered a liberal art. For it can be freely known, but in no way practiced without the intervention of demons, and for this reason it is considered a spurious art. This is also demonstrated by its very name; for the Greek divination , It means divination: nigro, black. Hence, necromancy means black divination, which leads those who practice it to the dark prisons of demons. The Greek pyros means fire; idros, water. Therefore, pyromancy means divination by fire, and idromancy, by water, because they lead those who practice them to the fire and the waters of hell. Hence, the prophet Job says: "From excessive heat they will pass to the waters of snow." Therefore, whoever reads this faithful book of Turpin should strive to avoid it. For the emblem of necromancy says: It begins the death of the soul.

After a short time, I was informed of the death of King Charlemagne in this way. While in Vienna one day, rapt and ecstatic with my prayers before the altar of the church, as I sang the psalm God, come to my aid, I realized that countless armies of black soldiers were passing before me, heading towards Lorraine. And when they had all passed, I noticed one who looked like an Ethiopian, following the others at a slow pace, a little behind, and I said to him:

– Where are you going?

– To Aachen – he replied – we are going, to the death of Charlemagne, whose soul we wish to plunge into hell.

And I immediately said to him:

– I conjure you in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ not to refuse to return to me at the end of your journey.

Then, shortly after, as soon as the psalm was finished, they began to pass back before my altar in the same order. And I said to the last one, to whom I had spoken first:

– What have you done?

And the demon answered:

A headless Galician cast so many stones and countless beams from his basilicas into the scales that the good deeds outweighed the sins. And so he snatched our souls and delivered them into the hands of the Supreme King.

And with that, the demon vanished. And so I understood that this same Charlemagne had left this world and that, under the protection of Saint James, for whom he had built many churches, he had rightfully ascended to the heavenly realms. For I had previously obtained from him—that is, on the day we parted in Vienna—that if possible, I should be informed of his death should it occur before mine. Likewise, he had obtained from me that I should inform him of mine. Therefore, being afflicted by illness and remembering this important promise, he ordered a certain knight who served him, before dying, that upon witnessing his death, he should inform me immediately.

But what else? Fifteen days after his death I learned from the same messenger that from the moment he returned from Spain until the day of his passing he had been constantly ill, and that in suffrage for the aforementioned deceased, on the very day they had received martyrdom for the love of God, namely, June 16, he had used to give to the poor twelve thousand ounces of silver and as many talents of gold throughout his life, and likewise clothing and food, and that he had had as many psalters, masses, and vespers sung; and that he had left this life on the same day and hour that I had the vision, that is, on January 28 in the year of the Incarnation of the Lord 814; and I learned that he had been buried with all pomp in Aachen in the lands of Liège, in the rotunda church of the Virgin Saint Mary, which he himself had built; And I heard it said that in the three years before his death these signs had occurred: It happened, then, that the sun and the moon were darkened for seven days before his death. That his name, namely, KAROLUS PRINCEPS, which was written inside on the wall of the aforementioned church, almost completely faded away. The portico that stood between the church and the palace collapsed completely and spontaneously on the day of the Ascension of the Lord. The wooden bridge that he had laboriously built in Mainz over the waters of the Rhine in seven years was completely consumed by fire. And one day, as he was traveling from one place to another, suddenly it grew dark, and the flame of a great bonfire passed swiftly before his eyes from right to left, so that, very frightened and astonished, he fell from his horse on one side and the lance he was carrying on the other. Immediately his companions came to his aid and lifted him from the ground with their hands. Thus, I believe that he now shares in the crown of the aforementioned martyrs, whose labors we know he shared with them.

This example implies that whoever builds a church earns the kingdom of God, is snatched, like Charlemagne, from the demons and placed in the heavenly kingdom through the intercession of the saints whose churches he built.

But it is most worthy to recall, among other things, for the glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a magnificent event that, it is said, befell the blessed Roland during his life, before he entered Spain. Count Roland, a venerable man, was besieging the city of Grenoble for six years with countless armies of Christians when a messenger swiftly arrived announcing that Charlemagne, his uncle, was besieged by three kings—namely, those of the Vandals, Saxons, and Frisians—and all their armies in a certain castle in the territory of the city of Worms; and that they commanded and requested that he come to his aid immediately with his armies and deliver him from the pagans. Then the nephew, saddened by his dear uncle's anxiety, wished to consider what would be best for him to do: either abandon the city for which he had suffered so much and free his uncle, or leave his uncle and conquer the city and submit it to Our Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, praiseworthy man in all things, who hesitated out of piety and was anguished by the indecision between two fortunes! But let us listen carefully to what the venerable hero did.

He spends three days without eating or drinking in devout prayer with his army and invokes God for help, saying: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the most high Father, who divided the Red Sea in parts and through it led Israel, and in it justly drowned Pharaoh, and made your people pass through the desert; who defeated their enemy peoples and killed the mighty kings Seon of the Amorites and Og of Bashan and all the kings of Canaan, and gave all their lands as an inheritance to Israel, your people; and who brought down the walls of Jericho without combat or intervention of human ingenuity, with only a showy march around them to the sound of trumpets; You, Lord, destroy the stronghold of this city, break down with your mighty hand and your invincible arm all its defenses so that the pagan people who in their ignorance do not believe in you may know that you are the living God, the strongest of all kings, the omnipotent helper and defender of Christians, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns as God for infinite ages.

And what more could be said? After these prayers were offered, and on the third day the city walls fell on all sides without human intervention, and the pagans were destroyed and driven away, Count Roland joyfully marched swiftly with his armies toward Charlemagne in Germany and delivered him from the snares of his enemies by the mighty power of God. This was done by the Lord and is wondrous in our eyes.

Reader of these verses, wish Turpin well

of divine mercy always helping him. Amen.

CALLIXTUS, POPE, ON THE DISCOVERY OF THE BODY OF BLESSED TURPIN, BISHOP AND MARTYR

Blessed Turpin, Archbishop of Reims, martyr for Christ, living in Vienna shortly after the death of King Charlemagne, afflicted by the pains of his wounds and labors, rested in the Lord with a worthy death and was buried there first in a certain church near the city, beyond the Rhône, that is, to the east. And in our time, some of our clergy found his most holy body in a beautiful sarcophagus, clothed in episcopal vestments and still incorrupt, with his own skin and bones; and from that church, which was devastated, they brought it to this side of the Rhône, to the same city, and buried it in another church where it is now venerated. Now he possesses in heaven the crown of victory which he won on earth with much suffering. It is to be believed that those who in Spain received martyrdom for the faith of Christ are deservedly crowned in heaven. And although Charlemagne and Turpin did not meet their end at Roncesvalles alongside Roland and Oliver and the other martyrs, they are not deprived of the eternal crown of those who, while they lived, felt the pain of the wounds, blows, and hardships they endured with them in battle. "If we are companions in suffering," says the Apostle, "we will also be companions in consolation.".

Roland means the epitome of science, for, being learned in all the sciences, he surpassed all kings and princes. Oliver means hero of mercy, for he was clement and merciful above all; clement in word, in deed, and in the nature of his martyrdom. Charles means light of the flesh, for he surpassed all earthly kings after Christ in the clarity of all virtues and sciences. Turpin means very pure or not coarse, for he never performed coarse deeds or uttered coarse words, but always honest ones. On June 16, that is, the day on which they ascended from this world to be with the Lord, the Office of the Dead should be celebrated, namely: Vespers and Requiem Mass with the proper obsequies and hours, not only for the deceased warriors of Charlemagne, but also for all those who, from the time of Charlemagne himself until today, suffered martyrdom for the faith of Christ in Spain and in the Holy Land. What and how much Charlemagne used to distribute to the poor in suffrage for the souls of those on the day of his passion can be found by reading above.

Pope Callixtus

I must record for posterity what happened in Galicia after the death of Charlemagne. After Charlemagne's death, the land of Galicia rested in a long period of peace. Then, at the instigation of the devil, a certain Saracen, Almanzor of Córdoba, arose, claiming that he would conquer and subject the Galician and Spanish lands, which Charlemagne had once seized from his ancestors, to the laws of Islam. Having gathered many armies, he arrived, devastating the lands of the homeland on all sides, as far as the city of Santiago, and by force he plundered everything he found there. He likewise completely and shamefully devastated the Basilica of the Apostle, carrying off its codices, silver altars, bells, and other ornaments. And when the Saracens and their horses took refuge there, those wicked people began to defecate around and on the very altar of the Apostle. Therefore, as divine punishment, some of them, afflicted with diarrhea, expelled everything in their bodies through their anus. Others, however, lost the sight of their eyes and wandered about like blind men in the basilica and the city.

But what else? Suffering from this same affliction, Almanzor himself, also completely blinded, on the advice of a certain captive of his, a priest of the same basilica, began to invoke the God of the Christians for help, saying these words: “O God of the Christians, God of Saint James, God of Mary, God of Peter, God of Martin, God of all Christians, if you restore me to my former health, I will renounce Muhammad, my God, and I will never again plunder the land of the great Saint James. O Saint James, great man, if you give health to my stomach and my eyes, I will return all that I took from your church.” Then, after fifteen days, once all the things had been returned in double measure, Almanzor, having regained his health, withdrew from the land of Saint James, promising that he would not return to his lands to plunder and saying that the God of the Christians was great and Saint James a great man.

Then, having ravaged the lands of Spain, he arrived at the town commonly called Orniz, in which stood a beautiful and fine basilica of San Román, adorned with rich tapestries and a codex, silver crosses, and fabrics embroidered with gold. Upon arriving there, the wicked Almanzor plundered everything he found and likewise devastated the town. Having quartered his armies in this town, a certain captain of his forces, who entered the church, saw the magnificent stone columns supporting the roof, their capitals silvered and gilded. Driven by his hatred and cruelty, he drove an iron wedge between a column and its base. And as he struck that wedge forcefully with an iron hammer, attempting to bring down the entire church, the man was turned to stone by divine providence. And this stone, in human form, remains to this day in the same church, bearing the same color as the Saracen's tunic at that time. Pilgrims who go there to pray also often say that the stone stinks. When Almanzor saw this, he said to his knights:

Great, awesome, and worthy of glory is the God of the Christians, for He has such disciples that even after leaving this life they still punish the living who rebel against them, taking away the light from some, turning others into mute stone. Saint James took away the light from my eyes; Saint Roman turned a man to stone. But Saint James restored my sight, yet Saint Roman refuses to return my man. Let us flee, then, from these lands.

Then, confused, the pagan departed with his armies. And for a long time afterward, no one dared to invade the homeland of Saint James. Know, then, that those who henceforth disturb his land will be eternally condemned. On the other hand, those who guard it from the power of the Saracens will be rewarded with heavenly glory.

Calixtus, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to the bishops, his beloved brothers of Christ, and to the other persons of the holy church, and to all Christians both present and future, universally greets and gives the apostolic blessing.

You have often heard, dearest ones, how many evils, calamities, and anguish the Saracens have inflicted on our Christian brothers in Spain. No one can recount how many churches, castles, and lands they devastated, and how many Christians—monks, clergy, and laymen—they killed, or sold into slavery in distant, barbarian lands, or kept in chains, or subjected to various tortures. Words cannot express how many bodies of holy martyrs—bishops, abbots, priests, and other Christians—lie buried near the city of Huesca and in the Campo Laudable, in the Campo de Litera, and in other border territories of Christians and Saracens where wars were fought. They lie by the thousands. Therefore, I beseech you, my children, that your charity may understand how important it is to go to Spain to fight the Saracens, and how many graces will be rewarded by those who go there willingly. For it is already known that Charlemagne, King of the Gauls, the most famous of all kings, established the crusade in Spain, fighting the infidel peoples with countless hardships, and that his companion, the blessed Turpin, Archbishop of Reims, as recounted in his epic, strengthened by the authority of God, in a council of all the bishops of Gaul and Lorraine gathered in Reims, the city of the Gauls, granted plenary indulgence to all those who then went, and to all those who in the future go to fight the infidel people in Spain, to increase Christianity, to free Christian captives, and to suffer martyrdom there for the love of God. All the apostolic men who, afterwards, until our time, corroborated this same thing, and the holy Pope Urban, an illustrious man, is a witness, who at the Council of Clermont in Gaul, with the assistance of one hundred bishops, assured this same thing, when he ordered the crusade of Jerusalem, as recorded in the codex of the history of Jerusalem. This same thing We also corroborate and confirm: that all who march, as we have said above, with the sign of the Lord's cross on their shoulders, to fight the infidel people in Spain or the Holy Land, shall be absolved of all their sins for which they have repented and confessed to their priests, and shall be blessed by God and by the Holy Apostles Saint Peter, Saint Paul, and Saint James, and by all the saints, and with Our apostolic blessing, and that they may merit to be crowned in the heavenly kingdom, together with the holy martyrs who, from the beginning of Christianity to the end of the ages, have received or are to receive the palm of martyrdom. Never before has there been such a great need to go there as there is now. For this reason, We earnestly and universally command that all bishops and prelates, in their synods and councils and in the solemnities of the churches, shall not fail to proclaim this above all other apostolic mandates; He also exhorted his elders to communicate this to their parishioners in the churches. And if they do this willingly, may they be rewarded in heaven with the same reward as those who go there. And whoever carries this epistle, transcribed from one place to another or from one church to another, and preaches it publicly to all, may he be rewarded with eternal glory. Therefore, may those who proclaim this here and those who go there have continual peace, honor, and joy, victory for the warriors, strength, long life, health, and glory. May our Lord Jesus Christ deign to grant this, whose kingdom and dominion endures without end, forever and ever. Amen. So be it. So be it. So be it.

Given at Lateran, Rejoice, Jerusalem, with one hundred bishops assembled in council.

Let this epistle be read and brought to the attention of the faithful after the Gospel on every Sunday from Easter until the feast of St. John the Baptist.

May Our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, God forever and ever, extend the hand of His great mercy to the scribe and the reader of this codex. Amen.