A quote by
Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube in around 1215 from his book
Girart de Vienne subdivides the Matter of France into three cycles: {{blockquote| At Saint-Denis, in the great abbey, we find it written (I don't doubt) in a book of noble lineage that there have been only three gestes in well-defended France (I think no-one will argue with me now). The lordliest is that of the kings of France. The next, it is right to say, was of Doon of the white beard, he of Mainz who had many lands. In his lineage were fierce and rugged people; they would have had the lordship of all of France, its power, its knighthood, but they were proud and jealous. Of that lineage, so full of treachery, was Ganelon who by his treason caused great sorrow in well-defended France when he committed in Spain the great felony that caused the death in pagan land of the Twelve Peers of France. You have heard tell in many a song that from the geste that came from Ganelon many a great knight was descended, fierce and bold and of very great fame. They would have been lords of the whole realm of France, but there was pride and treason in them. Through pride (we tell you truly) many a high-placed man has been thrown to earth, as were the angels in heaven (we know it in truth) who, for their crime, were thrown into the prison of hell where they will feel nothing but eternal pain. They lost the holy mansion of heaven by their pride and folly. Just so were Ganelon's kin, who would have been so powerful and famous if they had not been so full of treason. Of this lineage, which did nothing but evil, was the second geste. The third geste, which was much to be praised, was that of Garin de Monglane of the fierce countenance. In his lineage I can well testify that there was not a single coward or good-for-nothing or traitor or vile flatterer; rather they were wise and bold knights and good fighters and noble warriors. Not once did they wish to betray a king of France; they strove to help their true lord and to advance his honour everywhere. They promoted Christendom and destroyed and confounded Saracens. This Garin of the fierce countenance had four sons; never were there bolder knights, I think, so that in a whole day one could not describe their prowess. The first son (I will not lie to you) was the fierce Hernaut of Beaulande. The second, as I have heard tell, was the praiseworthy Milon of Apulia. The third was Renier of Geneva, and the fourth was lord Girart the warrior. The cycles can be outlined as follows: • The
Geste du roi, whose chief character is Charlemagne, seen as champion of Christianity. This cycle contains the best known of the
chansons, the . •
La Geste de Garin de Monglane, whose central character was
Guillaume d'Orange, identifiable with William, Count of Toulouse. These dealt with knights who were typically younger sons, not
heirs, and who seek land and glory through combat with the Infidels. The twenty-four poems of this
geste belong to the generation after Charlemagne, during the reign of an ineffectual Louis. The
Chanson de Guillaume is one of the oldest poems of this
geste. • The
Geste de Doon de Mayence, in which the hero, as in the
Geste de Guillaume, often suffers from royal injustice, but is goaded into rebellion. Central figures of the Matter of France include
Charlemagne and his
paladins, especially
Roland, hero of
The Song of Roland, and his companion
Oliver, who was frequently cast in conflict with the
Muslim champion
Fierabras. Originally, the Matter of France contained tales of war and martial valour, being focused on the conflict between the
Franks and
Saracens or
Moors during the period of
Charles Martel and Charlemagne. The
Chanson de Roland, for example, is about the
Battle of Roncevaux Pass during the Moorish invasion of southern France. As the genre matured, elements of
fantasy and
magic tended to accrue to the tales. The magic horse
Bayard, for example, is a recurring figure in many of the tales. The fundamental character of the "Matter of France" is feudal and Christian (in a crusading form). Although viewed as idolators, the Saracens were not necessarily depicted as un-chivalrous. The earliest
gestes were likely sung by a
jongleur, accompanied by a fiddle. It is apparent that the authors were ignorant of the fact that Islam is monotheistic. D. J. A. Ross says that people of the Middle Ages appear to have regarded the
gestes as generally historical. Einhard's
Vita Caroli describes the Basque ambush at Roncevaux as driving the Frankish rearguard down the valley. The poet who wrote the
Chanson de Roland did not hesitate to update the military tactics to a set-piece cavalry charge on the part of the Saracens, although retaining a landscape unsuitable for couched lances. ==List of works==