La Spagna
A 14th-century Italian epic of Charlemagne and Orlando.
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La Spagna, also called La Spagna in rima, is a 14th-century Italian epic poem attributed to the Florentine Sostegno di Zanobi. Composed in ottava rima and spanning 40 cantos, it adapts the story of Charlemagne's campaigns in Spain and the death of his nephew Orlando. The work served as a source for later Italian romantic epics by Luigi Pulci, Matteo Maria Boiardo, and Ludovico Ariosto.
Plot
The poem recounts Charlemagne's war against the Moors of Spain under King Marsilio, including the sieges of Pamplona and Saragossa and the battle of Roncesvalles. Charlemagne intends to subdue Spain and give the crown to his nephew Orlando.
Orlando challenges the Saracen knight Ferragu to a duel, kills him on a bridge, and then undergoes travels to North Africa. The treachery of Gano of Maganza leads to the battle of Roncesvalles, where the main characters die. Charlemagne conquers Spain and condemns Gano.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: La Spagna (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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