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

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Rom ...

s and of Saragossa. He first appears in Stanza 1, asking his barons for counsel because he is losing the war against

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 ...

. He readily accepts Blancandrin's proposal of surrender (Stanzas 1–6), and agrees to Ganelon's scheme after testing his worth and persuasion from his wife Bramimonde and his nobility (32–52). He takes part in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass, kills Bevon, Lord of Beaune and Dijon, Yvoire, Yvon and Gerald of Roussillon, before

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 ...

cuts off Marsile's right hand and the head of his son, Jurfaleu the Blond, and Marsile is forced to flee (142) to Saragossa (187). Bound to his bed with his injuries, he summons help from Baligant (189), places Spain in Baligant's care (202), and later dies of his wounds, his army having been destroyed. According to the '' Historia Caroli Magni'', Charlemagne had him hanged on the same tree where Judas hanged himself. There is no historical evidence for King Marsile's existence. He is possibly only a petty king but said to be the last of the Arabs in Al Andalus to make a stand against the Franks. The battle of Roncevaux appears in very few historical records.Narbaitz, Pierre. ''Orria, o la batall de Roncesvalles. 778''.

References

* La Chanson de Roland Characters in The Song of Roland Fictional kings Legendary Arab people Fictional Muslims {{lit-char-stub