The Song of Roland
The oldest and most celebrated of the "chansons de geste" is "The Song of Roland" (earliest version composed c. 1098), seen by some as the national epic of France (comparable with "Beowulf" in England, the "Song of the Nibelungs" in Germany and the "Lay of el Cid" in Spain). It is perhaps no coincidence that the "Song of Roland" was first written down at a date very close to that of Pope Urban's call (1095) for the First Crusade; its plot may be seen as a glorification of the crusader ethos.