Memory of Charlemagne: On the early diffusion of Carolingian material in Spain (11th-13th centuries)

Abstract

This article offers a complete survey of the texts and documents related to Carolingian epics in Spain during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, showing their importance for the history of Spanish epics. Beginning with an exploration of the presence of the prestigious memory of Charlemagne, it tries to reconstruct the context of the oldest al1usions to the Roland legend, as the so-called «Nota ernilianense» (c. 1070-1080). This paper gives a new treatment of the false documents related to Bernardo of Ribagorza (end of the eleventh century), who is linked in one of them to Charlemagne's family, and discusses its connection with the legend latter located in Carpio, in the Leonese kingdom. Final1y, the article presents a new document by Pelagius of Oviedo (bishop between 1102 and 1143) which reveals the wide circulation of the Carolingian epic tradition in Spain. The analysis of this material brings together the known texts on Charlemagne in the Iberian Peninsula in the twelfth century, focusing especially on the Historia Silense and the Pseudo-Turpin , which share sorne features with the new text that helps to explain it and uncover its meaning. The conclusions try to show the position of the allusions by Pelagius of Oviedo within the context of Spanish epics, and its importance for the study of other traditions, particularly the one known as Entrée d 'Espagne.