... his own empire was under attack from his old enemies the Saxons. Charlemagne's army hastened forward. The Saxons were reportedly marching on Cologne. Little did Charlemagne know he had been sold out. His trusted paladin Ganelon had told an enemy force where he would be. It is unknown what country the enemies were. The Song of Roland suggests that they were Saracens, while other sources suggest that ... it was the Lombards. In any case this much is known, Ganelon was responsible, and the entire rear guard of Charlemagne's army was destroyed including his nephew and bravest warrior Roland...

• Word Count: 1906
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... that has been used continuously since the beginning of the Middle Ages until now. It consists entirely of vocal melodies without harmony. During the Middle Ages, nonreligious music was mostly learned by ear and not by script for the composers and performers of music were mostly illiterate minstrels. Minstrels made their living by chanting long poems about heroic deeds, such as "Song of Roland", and playing dance music on harps ... , bagpipes, bowed stringed instruments, and recorders. Minstrels also entertained with acrobatic stunts and magic tricks. After the 11th century, many minstrel...

• Word Count: 684
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School