Bramimonde is a character in ''

The Song of Roland The ''Song of Roland'' () is an 11th-century based on the deeds of the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in AD 778, during the reign of the Emperor Charlemagne. It is the oldest surviving major work of French li ...

''. Bramimonde is the Queen of

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

, wife of

King Marsile Marsile (variously spelled Marsilie, Marsilius, Marsilio, Marsilion, Marsiglio, Marcilie, Marsille, Marsilies, Marsilun, or Marsiluns) is a character in the French heroic poem '' The Song of Roland''. He is the Muslim king of Arabs, conquering Sa ...

and mother of Jurfaleu the Blond. Bramimonde is introduced as an unwavering supporter of the

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...

, her husband and the betrayal of

Roland Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...

; going so far as to kiss his betrayer,

Ganelon In the 11th century Matter of France, Ganelon (, ) is the knight who betrayed Charlemagne's army to the Saracens, leading to the 778 Battle of Roncevaux Pass. His name is said to derive from the Italian word , meaning fraud or deception.Boiardo, ...

, in a show of support that was customary at the time. Over the course of the work, she becomes greatly disillusioned with her

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

faith, as seen in this passage where she grieves over the loss of her husband's right hand by Roland: : "When the Queen Bramimonde heard that her lord had returned, she hurried to him. Then, as she listened to his woful tale, and saw his shattered wrist, from which the right hand was gone, she wept aloud and made a great moan. With terrible curses she cursed Charlemagne and Francia, and she cursed her own heathen gods and idols. Then she threw the image of Apollin down, taking from him his crown and sceptre and trampling him under foot. "Oh, wicked god," she cried, "why hast thou brought such shame upon us? Why hast thou allowed our king to be defeated? Thou rewardest but ill those who serve thee." : The images of Tervagan and Mahomet too she caused to be beaten and broken in pieces, and flung to the pigs and dogs. Never were idols treated with such scorn. " Upon

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

's army's successful destruction of her city's mosques and synagogues, the forced

baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

of her people, the crushing defeat of

Baligant In ''The Song of Roland'', Baligant is the Emir of Babylon (i.e., Cairo, not the Mesopotamian Babylon), who brings an immense army to aid his vassal King Marsile (a.k.a. "Marsillion") in defending Zaragoza (sometimes spelled "Saragossa") from Ch ...

, and finally the death of her husband, she readily admits defeat. She is captured and taken to Aix upon her surrender and, unlike her subjects, is allowed to convert to the

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

faith by 'parable and sermon' in recognition of her noble lineage. She was baptised as 'Juliana'.

References

Fictional queens Characters in The Song of Roland Female characters in literature {{lit-char-stub