The site of the battle. Frankish texts do not mention Roncesvalles but rather Pyrenei saltum, the Pyrenean pass, no, "saltus Pyrenei" which would be a pass from the Pyrenees. The precision of the pass to which the chroniclers refer is underscored by the fact that they record that the retreat was made via Pamplona, in other words, via the western stretch of the Pyrenees. Thus, it was no longer just any pass, Belate, for example, but the classic invasion pass, that of Roncesvalles. The poet Saxonis gives a very interesting detail that highlights the route taken by Charles in his retreat: Ad Pampelonem rediens, deiecerat eius Ad terram walls fiercet ne forte rebellis. Cumque Pyrenaei regressus ad intima saltus Militi cum lasso streets transcenderet arctos Insidias eius summo sub vertice montis Tendere Wascones ausi nova proelia tentant. Returning to Pamplona, he tore down its walls, lest they should rebel. And when, back in the depths of the Pyrenean pass, the weary troops advanced along those narrow paths, the Basques, daring to ambush them under the cover of the highest crag of the mountain, attempted various attacks. Although the case is clear, let us see how the three passes through the Pyrenees, Roncesvalles, Somport, and Pertus, which correspond to the three Roman uprisings, are treated in the Latin chronicles: via Astorga-Bordeaux and Imus Pyrenaeus; via Caesaraugusta-Beneharn and Summus Pyrenaeus; and, finally, via Domitia and in Pyrinaeo. The place name Saltus Pyrinaeus, when it appears in the delimitations of Gallia Narbonensis, refers to the eastern section of the Pyrenees; However, when Galia Comata is delimited, it refers to the western Pyrenees. But if it appears in isolation, and out of context, it is undoubtedly that of Pertus. Two manuscripts simply transcribe Pyrenaeo without the word saltus. The three Pyrenean sections are specified for us by the cosmograph of R Vena when he says: Completur autem ipsa Spania habens finem ab uno latere litus Oceani Saltum Pirineum Spanoguasconiae; et deinde ipsum Saltum Pirineum Gasconiae; juxta vero mare magnum Gallicum ipsum Saltum Pirineum et provincialm Septimanam. Hispania is closed by having on one side as its limit, next to the Ocean coast, the Saltus Pirineum of Spanoguasconia; and then, the Saltus Pirineum of Guasconia; Finally, next to the great Galician Sea, the same Saltum Pirineon. Guido, perhaps a contemporary of the Ravenna cosmographer, cites the two extreme Saltus: Hispania habet funem ab uno latere juxta Oceani Saltum Pyreneum Spanoguasconiam, ve juxta mare magnum Gallicum ipsumque ex alio latere Saltum Pireneum et Provinciam Septimanam. (Guidonis Geogr phica, Edic. Pinder, p. 555). Hispania borders on one side, near the ocean, with the Saltus Pyrenetem of Spanoguasconia, and on the other, next to the great Galician sea, with the same Saltum Pyreneum and the Septian province. As can be seen, one of the texts comes from the other. In reality they are one and the same. The first time that Roncesvalles is cited as the site of the battle is in the 19th century. XI, 1065 and 1075, in an Emilianense Note discovered in 1954 by D. Maso Alonso in the monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla, which was then in Pamplona. The text says: At the exercitum portum of Sicera transirit, in Rozaballes a gentibus sarracenorum fuet Rodlane occiso. (D. Maso Alonso. La primitiva pica francesa a la luz de una Nota Emilianense, Madrid 1954). But as soon as the army crossed the port of Sicera (Cize), Roland was killed in Rozaballes by members of the Saracens. When this Note lists the leaders who fell in the battle, it does not mention Anselmus or Egginhardus, but rather Beltrán, Ojier of the short sword, William of the curved nose, Oliveros and Bishop Turpin. All this makes it clear that the French monks of Roncesvalles and associated churches had already invented their legend to the greater honour and glory of the French nation. In this case, Brother Turoldo's Chanson de Roland was based on an earlier one. In any case, in the 11th and 12th centuries, it is public knowledge that the battle against the invader Charles took place at Roncesvalles, since, in addition to mentioning the Cross of Charles, the Chapel of Charlemagne, which was located at the port of Iba eta, is also mentioned: iuxta capellam Caroli Magni famosissime regis francorum (Foundation by Bishop Larrosa in 1132). In 1174 it was called Capella Rollandi.
