3 h 41 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
When does a knight’s courage become a danger to the men who trust him?
Charlemagne longs to bring his army home after seven years of war in Spain. Only Saragossa still resists him. Its king, Marsile, offers peace, but the promise hides a trap. When Roland names his stepfather Ganelon as envoy, wounded pride turns toward revenge. The road home leads the Franks into a mountain pass in the Pyrenees.
Roland commands the rear guard, with his closest friend Oliver beside him. As enemy forces approach, Oliver sees the danger clearly, but Roland refuses to sound his horn. This French epic poem places loyalty beside pride and courage beside wisdom. Its ringing stanzas frame a hard question: what does honour demand when other men’s lives depend on your choice?
What you’ll discover
- Two friends at odds Meet Roland and Oliver, whose shared loyalty cannot settle their urgent disagreement over calling for help.
- A dangerous homeward march Follow the rear guard into a mountain pass as false peace gives way to danger.
- Honour tested by pride Weigh the pull of personal glory against the duty to protect the men under your command.
- Faith within the poem Encounter Turpin, the warrior-priest, within a Christian vision of war that portrays its Muslim enemies one-sidedly.
- The sound of legend Discover repeating stanzas and ringing sounds in a poem rooted in the tradition of sung deeds.
Who will love it
For readers who love heroic tales, medieval history and the roots of the knightly code, and listeners who enjoy strong, simple storytelling.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Seven years in Spain and one city left
- The council splits over Marsile's offer
- Roland names Ganelon and hatred takes root
- Ganelon sells his emperor to the enemy
- Roland takes the rear guard and the twelve peers
- Oliver sees the army and Roland refuses the horn
- Pride, wisdom and the weight of loyalty
- Faith, crusade and a one-sided enemy
- Laisses, repetition and a poem made for the ear
Who’s who
- RolandCharlemagne's nephew and the boldest of his knights, who carries the sword Durendal and values glory and his lord's honour above all.
- OliverRoland's closest friend and fellow peer, wise and clear-sighted, who wants to protect the men under their command.
- CharlemagneThe aged emperor of the Franks, who has fought in Spain for seven years and longs to bring his army home.
- GanelonRoland's stepfather, an eloquent count who takes offence when Roland names him as envoy and plots revenge.
- Archbishop TurpinA warrior-priest who blesses the Frankish knights, absolves them before battle and fights beside them.
- MarsileThe Saracen king of Saragossa, who offers false peace to Charlemagne because he cannot win the war by force.
- BlancandrinMarsile's clever counsellor, who devises the plan of false submission and persuades Ganelon on the road.
- Duke NaimesThe wisest of Charlemagne's counsellors, whose steady advice carries weight in the emperor's council.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 3 h 41 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Das Rolandslied in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Das Rolandslied
by Anonym; C. K. Scott-Moncrieff (Übersetzer) · 1100
In a Pyrenean pass, Oliver begs Roland to sound his horn as pride and honour put the rear guard at risk.
Medium level2–5 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
The Song of Roland is a French poem of about four thousand lines, written down around the year 1100 by an unknown poet. It tells of a battle in a mountain pass in the Pyrenees, where the rear guard of Charlemagne's army is attacked as it marches home from Spain.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Seven years in Spain and one city left
The poem opens with Charlemagne, king of the Franks, who has spent seven full years fighting in Spain. He has taken castle after castle, and every wall has fallen to him except Saragossa. That city is held by King Marsile, a ruler who does not love God and serves the gods of his own people, as the poet sees it. Marsile knows that his army is weaker, and he is afraid.
The poet does not spend time on the long war that came before. He sets his scene in a few strokes and moves quickly to the first decision. Marsile calls his counsellors to ask how he can avoid ruin. One of them, Blancandrin, a clever and experienced man, suggests a plan. They should offer Charlemagne gifts and a promise of peace, and send hostages as a pledge.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Das Rolandslied
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is The Song of Roland about?
It tells of the betrayal of Charlemagne's rear guard by Ganelon and the stand of Roland, Oliver and the twelve peers against a huge Saracen army in a Pyrenean pass, with themes of loyalty, honour and faith.
Is The Song of Roland a true story?
Only in part. It grew from a real ambush of a Frankish force in the Pyrenees in 778, but the enemy there were Basques, and the poem changes events heavily into a holy war.
Who wrote The Song of Roland and when?
The poet is unknown. The oldest surviving manuscript, kept at Oxford, dates from the twelfth century, and most scholars place the composition of the poem around 1100. A Turold is named in the last line.
More by Anonym; C. K. Scott-Moncrieff (Übersetzer)
All 37 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
