Asher Sisneros

The Song of Roland is a Frankish military poem written during the Middle Ages. It follows Charlemagne’s conquest of Islamic Spain. However, there was a gross betrayal within the Christian military ranks right as he approached victory. Counts Roland and Oliver were treacherously attacked following a peace deal between King Marsilie of Saragossa and Frankish emperor Charlemagne. To make matters worse, the two commanders, Roland and Oliver, were not militarily aligned. Though they fought under the same banner for the same nation and king, their military objectives could not have been more opposite. The two quarreled over which military objective was wise. In the end, they chose the one that led to a crushing defeat. 

The Saracen army outnumbered Roland’s rearguard by five to one. A victory was impossible without reinforcements. To make matters worse, King Marsilie had another wave of soldiers ready to attack. Between the combined two waves of soldiers, the Saracens outnumbered Roland’s rearguard by twenty to one. However, Charlemagne was within a reasonable distance to send back his other troops and aid the rearguard in their conflict with Marsile. All Roland had to do was blow his trumpet. If he blew his trumpet, the entire Frankish army would face off with the Saracens in open battle, evening the numbers and making victory possible. 

Count Oliver made the case for blowing the trumpet. He realized it was a suicidal mission to face Marsile alone. Their entire rearguard would perish. If Charlemagne did not march with reinforcements, they were doomed. Soldiers would die, with orphans and widows created needlessly. Oliver was confident in the Franks’ military superiority. Their courage and fortitude was unmatched. He did not deny their ability to hold their own and fight like lions. However, he recognized the reality they were facing. The odds were not in their favor. As such, he wanted Roland to blow the trumpet. He wanted Charlemagne to march with reinforcements. He wanted victory. 

The same could not be said for Count Roland. Unfortunately, he refused to blow the trumpet because his military objective was not victory. It sounds counterintuitive, and it was. As a renowned Frankish count known for his courage, Roland believed it was cowardice to call for reinforcements. He preferred to forsake the lives of all his men than win the battle. That is not hyperbole. 

“May it not please God that it should be said by any living man that I ever sounded my horn on account of the heathen. Never shall my kinsfolk be repproached on this account….May it not please God nor His angles that France ever lose her worth on my account! I would rather die than be overtaken by dishonor.”

Count Roland, in the 85th and 86th stanzas in “The Song of Roland”

Unfortunately, all Roland sought was honor. He was overcome by pride. Roland’s military objective was fame, not victory, and that decision resulted in the destruction of twenty thousand Frankish soldiers. 

Oliver and Roland had fundamentally opposite military objectives. Oliver sought victory, while Roland wanted the honor. Towards the end of the conflict, Roland relented his decision and blew the trumpet. However, it was too late. Only sixty of the twenty thousand rearguard soldiers were still alive. Oliver and the twelve peers were already dead. Roland was too late, and his men suffered on account of his pride. If he had listened to Oliver’s advice and shared Oliver’s military objective, perhaps the outcome may have been different. It is hard to say. What is clear is that Oliver and Roland had different military objectives. Roland wanted honor, and Oliver wanted victory. The beloved reader can determine which objective is more sensible during a military conflict.