1 - Charlemagne as a Creative Force in the Spanish Epic

Summary

This study examines Charlemagne's invasion of Spain as the catalyst for the development of a versatile and imaginative epic narrative tradition of heroic responses by Spanish warriors. This process crystallized in narratives celebrating the fictional deeds of Bernardo del Carpio, and after several permutations culminated in the final episode of the epic narrative on the youthful deeds of Rodrigo Díaz, the Cid. These narratives counter the perception derived from critical readings of the Cantar de Mio Cid that the Spanish epic recreates the lives of historical figures, and that its portrayal of them and of the events in which they participate has its basis in historical events. The creative response to the Frankish invasion did not exist outside of history, of course. Charlemagne did indeed invade Spain and his campaign is recorded in Spanish sources nearly contemporary with the emerging literary response, but the lifeblood of the narratives of Bernardo and Rodrigo lies in the French chansons de geste, not in the historical invasion. I will begin with a brief historical review of Charlemagne's campaign in Spain, its portrayal in Carolingian chronicles and an initial response in Spanish sources. My focus then moves to an early literary version of the historical event, followed by the emergence of the fictional Asturian warrior Bernardo del Carpio, who defends his homeland against the invading Franks. After a review of the transformations and innovations of an evolving Bernardo narrative, I will conclude my discussion with an analysis of the singular heroic stand of Rodrigo Díaz, the young Cid.

Before undertaking an analysis of narratives centered on Charlemagne's invasion of Spain in 778, a review of that historical event is in order – if for no other purpose than to help mark the distance between the historical event and its treatment in later epic narrative. The following synopsis is from a fuller account by the eminent historian David Levering Lewis: Sulaiman ibn al-A’rabi, the pro-Abbasid amir of Barcelona and Girona, along with his co-conspirators al-Husayn ibn Sa’d ibn Ubada, wali of Zaragoza, and the unidentified wali of Huesca, traveled to Charlemagne's Diet of Paderborn in Westphalia in the spring of 777.