roi. In these the chief character was Charlemagne or his heirs, and a pervasive theme was his role as the divine champion of Christianity. This cycle contains the earliest and best known of the epics – The Song of Roland (c. 1098 for the Oxford text, the earliest version: several others exist, including an Occitan version) Fierabras (c. 1170) Aspremont (c.1190–1200) Huon de Bordeaux (c.1216–1268) Chanson de Saisnes by Jean Bodel (1200) The Geste de Garin de Monglane, whose central character was William of Orange. These dealt with knights who were typically younger sons without an inheritance who sought land and glory through combat with the Saracens. Chanson de Guillaume (c.1100) Couronnement de Louis (1130) Charroi de Nîmes (1140) Prise d'Orange (1150?) Aliscans (1165) Aymeri de Narbonne and Girart de Vienne by Bertrand de Bar-sur-Aube (1190–1217) The Geste de Doon de Mayence (or the "rebel vassal cycle"); this cycle was concerned with rebels against (often unjust) royal authority and its most famous characters were Renaud de Montauban and Girart de Roussillon. Gormond et Isembart Girart de Roussillon (1160–1170) Renaud de Montauban or Les quatre fils Aymon (end of the 12th century) Raoul de Cambrai (end of the 12th century) Doön de Mayence (mid 13th century) A fourth grouping, not listed by Bertrand, is the Crusade cycle, dealing with the First Crusade and its immediate aftermath, and including: Chanson d'Antioche Les Chétifs Chanson de Jérusalem New chansons tended to be produced and incorporated into the existing literature in two ways: A separate period or adventure in the life of an established hero was told (for example, his childhood). The adventures of one of the ancestors or descendants of an established hero was told. This method of epic expansion, with its obsession with blood line, was to be an important compositional technique throughout the Middle Ages. It also underscores the symbolic weight placed within this culture on family honor, paternal fidelity and on the idea of proving one's filial worth. As the genre matured, it began to borrow elements from the French roman and the role of love became increasingly important. In some chansons de geste an element of self-parody appears, as in the Pèlerinage de Charlemagne. The Roman Jean Bodel's other two categories—the "Matter of Rome" and the "Matter of Britain"—concern the French romance or "roman". The term "roman" signifies, roughly, "vernacular" (i.e. not Latin), but it is used to designate