Battle of Roncevaux Pass
Wednesday August 15, 2007
As a medieval history buff, I've got to give Charlemagne his due. He turned his "Barbarian" kingdom into an impressive empire, and although it did not long outlast him, it would be highly significant in the development of medieval Europe. He made great strides in education and government. And most of all, he was a truly impressive military commander, conquering territory and peoples in ways that make modern day PC pundits cringe.
But there was one battle from which Charlemagne did not emerge victorious: the Battle of Roncevaux Pass. Even the greatest generals have their bad days.
- Find out more about the battle in this informative overview by About.com Guide to Military History, Kennedy Hickman.
- Learn more about Charlemagne in his Who's Who Profile, here at the Medieval History site.
Comments
Charlemagne was a God-driven obsessive motivated by his attempts to impose a theocratic state on everybody else. He attempted this in Spain and came unstck at Roncevalles because he failed to win the hearts and minds not just of the Islamics, his ostensible target, but of the Christians too who preferred Islam to his brand of fascist-religion. This of course may remind you of someone.
The difference between then and now is that the theocrats controlled the spin so Charlemagne’s reputation survived longer than his empire. Now, in our secular word, whilst America will go on, Bush has taken its world standing for integrity and democracy down with his own