Oliver (in Italian: ''Uliviero'' or ''Oliviero''), sometimes referred to as Olivier de Vienne or de Gennes, is a legendary knight in the

Matter of France The Matter of France, also known as the Carolingian cycle, is a body of literature and legendary material associated with the history of France, in particular involving Charlemagne and his associates. The cycle springs from the Old French '' chan ...

'' chansons de geste'', especially the French epic ''

The Song of Roland ''The Song of Roland'' (french: La Chanson de Roland) is an 11th-century '' chanson de geste'' based on the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 AD, during the reign of the Carolingian king Charlemagne. It i ...

''. In the tradition, he was

Roland Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando 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 ...

's closest friend, advisor, confidant and brother-in-law to be, one of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...

's twelve peers and brother of

Aude Aude (; ) is a department in Southern France, located in the Occitanie region and named after the river Aude. The departmental council also calls it " Cathar Country" (French: ''Pays cathare'') after a group of religious dissidents active i ...

, Roland's betrothed. He dies with Roland at the

Battle of Roncevaux Pass The Battle of Roncevaux Pass (French and English spelling, '' Roncesvalles'' in Spanish, ''Orreaga'' in Basque) in 778 saw a large force of Basques ambush a part of Charlemagne's army in Roncevaux Pass, a high mountain pass in the Pyrenees o ...

. Some critics have linked his name to the

olive tree The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ' ...

, a biblical symbol of divine wisdom.

Oliver in the ''Song of Roland''

Whereas the portrayal of Roland is commonly seen as recklessly courageous, Oliver was said to exhibit poise and wisdom in combat. He tells Roland that "heroism tempered with common sense is a far cry from madness: "Reasonableness is to be preferred to recklessness" (Oxford manuscript, laisse 131). Oliver was fatally impaled from behind by the Saracen Marganice, but before dying, he used his sword, Hauteclere, to split his attacker's head open with one blow. Oliver's sword is described as being of burnished steel, with a crystal embedded in a golden hilt. Its name, Hauteclere (or Halteclere, Hauteclaire) means "high ndneat".

Oliver in other works

Aside from the Song of Roland, the most pivotal chanson in which Oliver appears is '' Girart de Vienne'' (c.1180) by

Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube (i.e. Bertrand from Bar-sur-Aube) (end of the 12th century – early 13th centuryHasenohr, 170.) was an Old French poet from the Champagne region of France who wrote a number of ''chansons de geste''. He is the author ...

. Oliver's uncle Girart is fighting against his suzerain Charlemagne; after seven years of constant warfare, the two sides agree to a duel between two champions which will decide the outcome. From Vienne, Oliver is chosen, and from France, Roland. The two fight a duel but cannot overcome each other. Each recognising the other's prowess and nobility, they swear friendship to each other, and help bring about peace between their uncles. In ''Roland a Saragosse'', Oliver appears as Roland's friend and also something of a caretaker, assigned by Charlemagne to watch out for the younger and somewhat impetuous Roland. In the story, Roland is invited by Brammimonde, the queen of the Moors, to visit her at Saragossa. He and Oliver ride to the city without Roland telling Oliver the nature of his errand. As the two look out over the city, Roland asks Oliver to promise him a favour. Oliver, not suspecting any foul play, readily agrees, rather like an older brother to a younger. Roland asks Oliver to not accompany him into Saragosse so that Roland can claim all the glory and all the Queen's favor for himself. He leaves an outraged Oliver behind and succeeds in finding the queen and receiving a magnificent cloak from her. However, as he attempts to escape Saragossa Roland is surrounded by Saracens. He calls to Oliver for help, but the latter does not budge from his hill. Only when Roland is unhorsed and seems in grave danger of capture does Oliver, after a little more hesitation, ride down to the battle. He kills many Saracens and then leads a horse to Roland, then leaves the battle again. Then Oliver and his knights angrily leave Charlemagne's camp and capture the minor Saracen city of Gorreya. Roland rides out after them, intending to apologise to Oliver. When he arrives at Gorreya, Oliver disguises himself as a Saracen and goes outside the city to do battle with Roland. Roland knocks Oliver off his horse, but at a signal from Oliver all of the rest of his knights, also disguised as Saracens, exit the city and surround Roland. Just as before, outside Saragossa, Roland is trapped and outnumbered, and this time, realising that Oliver is not there to save him, Roland surrenders. Only then does Oliver remove his disguise and the two are reconciled. Oliver also appears in a series of chansons concerning the Moorish giant

Fierabras Fierabras (from French: ', "brave/formidable arm") or Ferumbras is a fictional Saracen knight (sometimes of gigantic stature) appearing in several ''chansons de geste'' and other material relating to the Matter of France. He is the son of Balan ...

, presented as Oliver's rival and near-equal. The story goes: the Saracen king Balan and his son Fierabras return to Spain after sacking the church of Saint Peter's in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and taking the relics of the passion. Charlemagne invades Spain to recover the relics and sends his knight Oliver de Vienne,

's companion, to battle Fierabras. Once defeated, the giant decides to convert to Christianity and joins Charlemagne's army, but Oliver and several other knights are captured. Floripas, Fierabras' sister, falls in love with one of Charlemagne's knights,

Gui de Bourgogne Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...

. After a series of adventures, Charlemagne kills king Balan, divides Spain between Fierabras and Gui de Bourgogne (who marries Floripas), and returns to Saint Denis with the holy relics.See

for references. In the ''chanson'' '' Galiens li Restorés'', Oliver has, with a princess of Byzantium named Jacqueline, a son named Galien. In the story, Galien leaves Constantinople to search for Oliver, and arrives at Roncevaux in time to speak to his dying father. He then returns to Constantinople, where his evil uncles have murdered their father, the Emperor, Galien's grandfather. He defeats them and becomes emperor of Byzantium, at the same time that the trial of Ganelon is taking place in France. In '' Le Pèlerinage de Charlemagne'', where Charlemagne and his

Twelve Peers The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers, are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) '' chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of France, wher ...

are hosted by the (fictional)

Byzantine Emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as l ...

Hugo, Oliver is given the risqué role of vainly boasting that he can sleep with Hugo's daughter a hundred times during a single night, and being ashamed when finding that his boast was overheard by the Emperor's spy. But after Charlemagne and the Peers pray to God in front of holy relics brought from Jerusalem, God enables Oliver to perform as advertised. Oliver also appears in the Italian romantic epics ''

Morgante ''Morgante'' (sometimes also called , the name given to the complete 28-canto, 30,080-line edition published in 1483See Lèbano's introduction to the Tusiani translation, p. xxii.) is an Italian romantic epic by Luigi Pulci which appeared in its ...

'' by

Luigi Pulci Luigi Pulci (; 15 August 1432 – 11 November 1484) was an Italian diplomat and poet best known for his '' Morgante'', an epic and parodistic poem about a giant who is converted to Christianity by Orlando and follows the knight in many adventu ...

, ''

Orlando innamorato ''Orlando Innamorato'' (; known in English as "''Orlando in Love''"; in Italian titled "''Orlando innamorato''" as the " I" is never capitalized) is an epic poem written by the Italian Renaissance author Matteo Maria Boiardo. The poem is a ro ...

'' by

Matteo Maria Boiardo Matteo Maria Boiardo (, ; 144019/20 December 1494) was an Italian Renaissance poet, best known for his epic poem '' Orlando innamorato''. Early life Boiardo was born in 1440,

and ''

Orlando furioso ''Orlando furioso'' (; ''The Frenzy of Orlando'', more loosely ''Raging Roland'') is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was ...

'' by

Ludovico Ariosto Ludovico Ariosto (; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic ''Orlando Furioso'' (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's '' Orlando Innamorato'', describes th ...

. In Boiardo and Ariosto, Oliver has two sons: Aquilante and Grifone (their mother is given as Gismonda in Ariosto, xv, 73.)

In sculpture

Oliver is prominently displayed, guiding Charlemagne's horse and holding a pike, on the bronze sculpture '' Charlemagne et ses Leudes'' (1878) in front of

Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to th ...

References

{{Authority control Fictional characters introduced in the 11th century Fictional knights Characters in The Song of Roland Characters in Orlando Innamorato and Orlando Furioso Medieval legends

Oliver in the ''Song of Roland''

Oliver in other works

In sculpture

Further reading

References