Basque Tribes Defeat Roland

At the Pass of Roncesvalles, Basque tribes defeat Roland, the commander of Charlemagne’s rear-guard troops. The army is returning across the Pyrenees to Frankish territory after attacking Barcelona and Pamplona in northern Spain. Centuries later, the French epic poem, “The Song of Roland,” reimagines this minor battle between two Christian groups as a major conflict between Christians and Muslims.