Fought in the Pyrenees Mountains on the border between Spain and France, at which battle of 778 AD did the Basques defeat the forces of Roland, commander of the rear guard of Charlemagne's army?
Battle of Roncevaux Pass named Orlando, an amalgamation of fictional characters that were named Roland and Orlando. 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 on the present border between France and Spain, after his invasion of the Iberian Peninsula. The Basque attack was a retaliation for Charlemagne's destruction of the city walls of their capital, Pamplona. As the Franks retreated across the Pyrenees back to Francia, the rearguard
Battle of Roncevaux Pass occupation. After securing the region, Charlemagne marched for the Pyrenees mountain pass in hopes of returning to France. Many of his notable lords, such as Roland, military governor of the Breton March, and Eggihard, Mayor of the Palace, were placed in the rearguard probably to protect the retreat and the baggage train. Unknown to Charlemagne, the enraged Basques sent their warriors in pursuit of him and his army in retaliation for the destruction of their city, and the Basques' knowledge of the region helped them overtake the Franks. In the evening of August 15, 778, Charlemagne's rearguard was suddenly attacked