⚔️ 778 AD | Charlemagne in Spain What you’re seeing: The Frankish invasion of Spain in 778 and the ambush at Roncevaux Pass, where Basque mountain warriors destroyed Charlemagne’s rearguard and killed Roland, Prefect of the Breton March, later turned into legend. Where is this? The Pyrenees and the Ebro valley in what is now northern Spain and southern France. The failed siege is at Zaragoza (Saraqusta), then under Muslim rule. The ambush is at Roncevaux Pass (Orreaga in Basque). Who are these people? Charlemagne was King of the Franks and Lombards in 778, not yet emperor. The Basques, called “Gascons” by Einhard, were an indigenous mountain people speaking a pre-Indo-European language unrelated to Latin or the Romance languages. Zaragoza’s Muslim governor had invited Charlemagne, then refused him entry. Why did this happen? Einhard records the invasion but leaves out the failed siege, claiming Charlemagne received the submission of all the places he attacked. Other chronicles, inc...