The medieval French hero Roland was based on a real-life figure who died at which battle in 778 AD?

Roland (died 15 August 778) was a military leader under Charlemagne, the King of the Franks. In 778 AD, Charlemagne invaded Portugal via the Basque lands, which are on the border of France and Spain. During the journey to Portugal, the king ordered his soldiers to attack and loot the areas they passed through. On their return journey to France, the Basques retaliated by attacking the soldiers from the rear, thus beginning the Battle of Roncevaux. Also known as Roncevaux Pass, Roncevaux is a small village in northern Spain.

Roland was the leader of the rearguard and knew they were outnumbered. Despite this, he fought valiantly with his knights, eventually dying a martyr's death. His heroics are recorded in the 11th-century epic poem 'La Chanson de Roland' (The Song of Roland).

According to legend, when Roland died, angels took him to heaven. He has since become an iconic figure in French literature and many texts have been written about his life. A lot of his history was most likely made up, such as his friendship with a knight called Oliver or Olivier, and Roland's engagement with the knight's sister, Aude.

The English idiom, "to give a Roland for an Oliver", stems from the legend of Roland, in which Oliver is Roland's equal in military skill. The phrase means "to give as good as one gets" or "equal measure".

Several writers have included Roland in their work, such as Dante in his 'Divine Comedy', although Dante renamed him 'Orlando'.