Roland a Song of Leadership:

Roland

A Song of Leadership: Decisiveness and Divine Intervention as Signs of Leadership in the Song of Roland

The Song of Roland, a medieval epic poem and one of the oldest surviving pieces of French literature, recounts a certain cycle of tales from one of Charlemagne's crusades, centering around the figure of his nephew and a commander in his army, Roland. Through a series of events, Roland ends up dying at the hands of the enemy army, an act which increases rather than diminishes his presence as a leader amongst the rest of Charlemagne's army. Certain qualities can be seen in both Roland and Charlemagne, as well as in other characters throughout the tale, that clearly demonstrate the common expectations for leaders amongst the people of Charlemagne's army and, implicitly, for the intended readership/audience of The Song of Roland at the time when it was first written and recited. A view of Roland's position as a leader also emerges quite clearly from such an examination.

Leadership Qualities and Duties, and Roland's Measure

Decisiveness is one of the key leadership qualities demonstrated throughout The Song of Roland. The inciting incident of the story, when Roland proposes Guenes to be the negotiator for Charlemagne's army, happens with a great suddenness, with Roland instantly calling out the name in response to the Emperor's request (lines 274-8). It is ironic that this instance of decisiveness also leads to Roland's downfall, but the quick and sure decision making at this moment and at many others clearly demonstrates the desirability of this leadership quality.

The true marker of leadership in the epic, however, is a show of divine blessing for a leadership position. This is something that is seen far more in Charlemagne and even in other minor characters more than it is in Roland himself, and this could be an indicator of where Roland truly stood as a leader in his world and in the minds of those who were audience to the epic. In order to aid Charlemagne in his pursuit of the pagan hordes, God keeps the sun from setting in a direct homage to certain Biblical battles, and later in the epic divine intervention allows Guenes to be brought to punishment for his treason (2458-9; 3923). Though this is not so much an internal quality of the leaders themselves, God showing his favor to certain individuals is definitely evidence of their leadership capabilities.

Along with these specific qualities and capabilities, there are certain duties expected of leaders that appear to be especially important in The Song of Roland. Decision-making is obviously one of these duties, though this is already covered above; another highly important duty is to use those decisions to uphold specific moral principles, particularly valor. Roland cites his need to protect his own valor, and the valor of his Frankish men, in his refusal to blow the horn he wears that will bring Charlemagne and the rest of the Christian army to their aid at the outset of the ambush (1054-8). Other qualities, such as a rigid determination to pursue righteous ends despite the practical costs -- such as righteously avenging the deaths of Roland and his men by relentlessly pursuing the pagan army -- are also apparently expected, and more fully fulfilled by Charlemagne.

There are other more direct and pragmatic duties that leaders were expected to fulfill, of course, such as providing clear objectives for their men and providing for their basic sustenance, presumably through continued victories. In this duty as well as in others, Roland somewhat pales in comparison to the unquestionable figure of leadership cut by Charlemagne, who not only emerges victorious and unscathed where Roland and his men are killed, but also establishes a clear system of justice that both makes sense to the participants and fully serves the needs of his men and their shared values and beliefs. In other words, it is necessary for a leader to maintain leadership, both by presenting a continually strong presence at the head of the community, and by ensuring that there will be a common community for this leadership to preside over in coming years and generations.

It is impossible to state with any certainty whether or not Roland's men perceived him as a good leader overall or not; this is not something that is directly addressed in The Song of Roland nor are there enough hints to make any overall determination of his fitness for leadership according to the mores of his time -- and the time in which the piece was created -- concrete. With the identification and description of the different qualities and duties that were expected of leaders as evidenced within the text of the epic, however, a determination of how well Roland lives up to these various qualities and duties, especially in comparison with others, can be made. This can lead to at least a preliminary assessment of how Roland and his leadership capabilities were perceived by his men.