Charlemagne and Fraternity
The 12 Paladins.
The Franks were one of the many Germanic tribes described in previous posts. These tribes go all the way back to wandering Aryan nomads and more recently the Huns, Visigoths, Malagars and other Germanic tribes who nipped at the fringes and then finally overtook the western half of the Roman empire. It is the re-establishment of that empire in cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church that we turn our attention to now. Charlemagne was the son of Pipen the Short. He was the son of Charles Martel. Martel , Charlemagne’s grandfather, stopped the advance of the Muslims at the battle of Tours (732 AD) in modern day France. Pipen was the first Frank whose reign was confirmed by a Catholic Pope. That Pope was Zacharias who supported Pipen to control still another Germanic tribe in southern Italy called the Lombard’s. This set a precedent for Charlemagne’s coronation. Charlemagne took his relationship with the Catholic Church seriously. Charlemagne valued education. The only people pursuing such goals at this time were monks and priests. By the cross and his sword Charlemagne would become the master of Western Europe.
We have discussed the cross now we should discuss the sword. Charlemagne expanded his initial inheritance through several campaigns. He beat Muslims, Saxons, Avars, Slavs, and Lombard. His conquests re-united the Western Roman Empire. A group of Germanic tribes came together under Charlemagne. It was once said that 7,000 had the choice of Christian baptism or the sword on a single day. He had 11 loyal knights that accompanied him as his closest allies. They were called Paladins. (Sound familiar AOE fans?) The most famous of them was Roland and we find one of his stories below. The Song of Roland and the account of a battle with a giant below are considered classic examples of the virtues of chivalry.
However; it is not chivalry that we will be pegging to this German, Frankish, Catholic , Emperor. The virtue of brotherhood bound the 12 Paladins together into a force which resurrected the Western Roman Empire. Charlemagne and his fraternity of Paladin knights wrestled Venice and other Italian city States from the Byzantines in addition to battling Germanic, Muslim and Saxon forces in every direction. The Fraternity that they created gave rise to many myths and legends that carried Western Europe through the chivalry of the middle ages. The value of Fraternity also gave credence to the divine right of kings and privileges of noble birth. The famous Song of Roland is a tribute to the un-distractible brotherhood of one of the 12 Paladins upon his death. The virtue of brotherhood welded together the warriors of the Germanic tribes with the civility of the Catholic community into a new, unified, understanding. Fraternity is most often used in its verb form instead of the current noun that is used to describe college men’s social clubs. The closest English word is loyal but, it is much more pervasive than that English adjective in the language of virtue.
Taken from
http://www.bulfinch.org/legends/legend02.html
ROLAND AND FERRAGUS
Orlando, or Roland, particularly distinguished himself by his combat with Ferragus. Ferragus was a giant, and moreover, his skin was of such impenetrable stuff that no sword could make any impression upon it. The giant's mode of fighting was to seize his adversary in his arms and carry him off, in spite of all the struggles he could make. Roland's utmost skill only availed to keep him out of the giant's clutches, but all his efforts to wound him with the sword were useless. After long fighting, Ferragus was so weary that he proposed a truce, and when it was agreed upon, he lay down and immediately fell asleep. He slept in perfect security, for it was against all the laws of chivalry to take advantage of an adversary under such circumstances. But Ferragus lay so uncomfortably for the want of a pillow, that Orlando took pity upon him, and brought a smooth stone and placed it under his head. When the giant woke up, after a refreshing nap, and perceived what Orlando had done, he seemed quite grateful, became sociable, and talked freely in the usual boastful style of such characters. Among other things, he told Orlando that he need not attempt to kill him with a sword, for that every part of his body was invulnerable, except this; and as he spoke, he put his hand to the vital part, just in the middle of his breast. Aided by this information, Orlando succeeded, when the fight was renewed, in piercing the giant in the very spot he had pointed out, and giving him a death-wound. Great was the rejoicing in the Christian camp, and many the praises showered upon the victorious paladin by the Emperor and all his host.
I offer many thanks to http://www.bulfinch.org/legends/legend06.html
Whose help contributed to this post.
The Franks were one of the many Germanic tribes described in previous posts. These tribes go all the way back to wandering Aryan nomads and more recently the Huns, Visigoths, Malagars and other Germanic tribes who nipped at the fringes and then finally overtook the western half of the Roman empire. It is the re-establishment of that empire in cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church that we turn our attention to now. Charlemagne was the son of Pipen the Short. He was the son of Charles Martel. Martel , Charlemagne’s grandfather, stopped the advance of the Muslims at the battle of Tours (732 AD) in modern day France. Pipen was the first Frank whose reign was confirmed by a Catholic Pope. That Pope was Zacharias who supported Pipen to control still another Germanic tribe in southern Italy called the Lombard’s. This set a precedent for Charlemagne’s coronation. Charlemagne took his relationship with the Catholic Church seriously. Charlemagne valued education. The only people pursuing such goals at this time were monks and priests. By the cross and his sword Charlemagne would become the master of Western Europe.
We have discussed the cross now we should discuss the sword. Charlemagne expanded his initial inheritance through several campaigns. He beat Muslims, Saxons, Avars, Slavs, and Lombard. His conquests re-united the Western Roman Empire. A group of Germanic tribes came together under Charlemagne. It was once said that 7,000 had the choice of Christian baptism or the sword on a single day. He had 11 loyal knights that accompanied him as his closest allies. They were called Paladins. (Sound familiar AOE fans?) The most famous of them was Roland and we find one of his stories below. The Song of Roland and the account of a battle with a giant below are considered classic examples of the virtues of chivalry.
However; it is not chivalry that we will be pegging to this German, Frankish, Catholic , Emperor. The virtue of brotherhood bound the 12 Paladins together into a force which resurrected the Western Roman Empire. Charlemagne and his fraternity of Paladin knights wrestled Venice and other Italian city States from the Byzantines in addition to battling Germanic, Muslim and Saxon forces in every direction. The Fraternity that they created gave rise to many myths and legends that carried Western Europe through the chivalry of the middle ages. The value of Fraternity also gave credence to the divine right of kings and privileges of noble birth. The famous Song of Roland is a tribute to the un-distractible brotherhood of one of the 12 Paladins upon his death. The virtue of brotherhood welded together the warriors of the Germanic tribes with the civility of the Catholic community into a new, unified, understanding. Fraternity is most often used in its verb form instead of the current noun that is used to describe college men’s social clubs. The closest English word is loyal but, it is much more pervasive than that English adjective in the language of virtue.Taken from
http://www.bulfinch.org/legends/legend02.html
ROLAND AND FERRAGUS
Orlando, or Roland, particularly distinguished himself by his combat with Ferragus. Ferragus was a giant, and moreover, his skin was of such impenetrable stuff that no sword could make any impression upon it. The giant's mode of fighting was to seize his adversary in his arms and carry him off, in spite of all the struggles he could make. Roland's utmost skill only availed to keep him out of the giant's clutches, but all his efforts to wound him with the sword were useless. After long fighting, Ferragus was so weary that he proposed a truce, and when it was agreed upon, he lay down and immediately fell asleep. He slept in perfect security, for it was against all the laws of chivalry to take advantage of an adversary under such circumstances. But Ferragus lay so uncomfortably for the want of a pillow, that Orlando took pity upon him, and brought a smooth stone and placed it under his head. When the giant woke up, after a refreshing nap, and perceived what Orlando had done, he seemed quite grateful, became sociable, and talked freely in the usual boastful style of such characters. Among other things, he told Orlando that he need not attempt to kill him with a sword, for that every part of his body was invulnerable, except this; and as he spoke, he put his hand to the vital part, just in the middle of his breast. Aided by this information, Orlando succeeded, when the fight was renewed, in piercing the giant in the very spot he had pointed out, and giving him a death-wound. Great was the rejoicing in the Christian camp, and many the praises showered upon the victorious paladin by the Emperor and all his host.
I offer many thanks to http://www.bulfinch.org/legends/legend06.html
Whose help contributed to this post.
posted by pparris9 at 6:52 PM
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