The Joyeuse is a left tributary of the
Bidouze
The Bidouze is a left tributary of the Adour, in the French Basque Country (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), in the Southwest of France. It is long.
Geography
The Bidouze rises at the base of ''Eltzarreko Ordokia'' in the Arbailles massif.
It drains ...
, in the
French Basque Country (
Pyrénées-Atlantiques), in the Southwest of
France. It is long.
Name
Its name
Joyeuse, that applies also to the
Aran and one of its tributaries, is in legend the name of the sword of
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...
. It was attributed after the
battle of Roncevaux
The Battle of Roncevaux Pass ( French and English spelling, ''Roncesvalles'' in Spanish, ''Orreaga'' in Basque) in 778 saw a large force of Basques ambush a part of Charlemagne's army in Roncevaux Pass, a high mountain pass in the Pyrenees on t ...
. At this time, many breaches or narrow passes in the
Pyrenees were renamed in reference to
Roland
Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando 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 ...
.
Geography
The Joyeuse rises in