''Aliscans'' is a ''

chanson de geste The ''chanson de geste'' (, from Latin 'deeds, actions accomplished') is a medieval narrative, a type of epic poem that appears at the dawn of French literature. The earliest known poems of this genre date from the late 11th and early 12th cen ...

'' of the late twelfth century. It recounts the story of the fictional battle of Aliscans (Alescans), a disastrous defeat of a Christian by a pagan army. The name 'Aliscans' presumably refers to the

Alyscamps The Alyscamps is a large Roman necropolis, which is a short distance outside the walls of the old town of Arles, France. It was one of the most famous necropolises of the ancient world. The name comes from the Provençal Occitan word ''Aliscam ...

Arles Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...

. It belongs to the Guillaume d'Orange cycle, and in the action Guillaume's nephew Vivien is killed. It is written in the old

Picard language Picard (, also , ) is a ''langue d'oïl'' of the Romance language family spoken in the northernmost part of France and Hainaut province in Belgium. Administratively, this area is divided between the French Hauts-de-France region and the Belgian ...

, and has around 8000 lines. It is dated, probably, as composed 1180-1190, and survives in 13 manuscripts. It is generally thought to be a source for the ''

Willehalm ''Willehalm'' is an unfinished Middle High German poem from the early 13th century, written by the poet Wolfram von Eschenbach. In terms of genre, the poem is "a unique fusion of the courtly and the heroic, with elements of the saintly legend attac ...

'' of

Wolfram von Eschenbach Wolfram von Eschenbach (; – ) was a German knight, poet and composer, regarded as one of the greatest epic poets of medieval German literature. As a Minnesinger, he also wrote lyric poetry. Life Little is known of Wolfram's life. There are ...

, and the two works cover the same events.Marion E. Gibbs and Sidney M. Johnson (1997), ''Medieval German Literature'' p. 195-6. The ''chanson'' is likely based on the '' Chançun de Willame'', a version of the cycle from the beginning of the century.

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{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408075401/http://www.chanson-de-geste.com/aliscans.htm , date=2009-04-08 Chansons de geste French poems Epic poems in French