It is in Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert that we came across the medieval literary world and the Chansons de Geste such as the William of Orange cycle – epic poems which are between history and legend. Unlike the works of those celebrated so far on this blog, these poems have no known author—they were composed and reshaped over generations, carried from village to village.
Imagine a world of jongleurs, troubadours and musicians entertaining audiences by singing of the exploits of historical or legendary heroes—Roland, Charlemagne’s nephew, or William of Orange—or entire family lineages. These tales are composed as poems of ten- or twelve-syllable verses ending on the same vowel sound, grouped into several lines.
Very popular between the 11th and 13th centuries, “chansons de geste” are characteristic of medieval literature—a genre rooted in the tradition of ancient epics such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, which took various forms across Europe, including the Arthurian legends as well as epic traditions that flourished in Italy and Spain.
The epic poem of William of Orange is a very good example of this type of literature, although schoolchildren mostly hear about the Song of Roland, which is part of the cycle dedicated to Charlemagne.
This William of Orange is said to have been inspired by the man who gave his name to the Abbey of Gellone, Count of Toulouse and Duke of Aquitaine, born in the mid-8th century and died in the early 9th century. He is remembered for having fought many battles on behalf of his probable relative Charlemagne, and especially to help secure the throne for his son Louis. He retired in the early 9th century to the Abbey of Gellone in what would become Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert.
The epic recounted in this cycle portrays a man of extraordinary strength and skill, which he put at the service of the Frankish world in battles against the “Saracens,” a medieval term then used to refer to Muslims. In a way, we can say that it is a foundational narrative for France, a Catholic country long referred to as the “fille aînée de l’Église” (“eldest daughter of the Church”).
A fiery young man, William falls in love with a young Muslim woman whom he manages to seduce and marry after she converts to Christianity—even though he loses part of his nose in battle, earning him the nickname Guillaume au Court-Nez.
Among his exploits is the capture of Nîmes, in the neighboring Gard département — a place already featured on this website. To achieve his goals, the legendary William of Orange resorted to the same principle that had enabled the Greeks to defeat the Trojans: by smuggling knights into the city of Nîmes hidden in barrels, while disguising himself as a peasant, he managed to conquer the city.
These stories, in fact, blend historical truth with elements of the fantastical.
A miniature from a 14th-century illuminated manuscript of the Chanson de Roland, Source: Wikimedia Commons
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