When someone does not have a community that supports them, it is hard to maintain stability and strength. The Song of Roland is an extremely well-known French epic poem but the author is unknown. This epic poem allows readers to gain a better understanding of the complex, yet powerful, relationship between lords and vassals. The Song of Roland’s portrayal of the connection between lords and vassals is an important form of representation for the medieval hierarchy and how works tend to idealize particular types of relationships. Dhuoda’s Liber Manualis provides a more personal view of the lord-vassal relationship and how it affected people in their day-to-day lives. In The Song of Roland and other written works like Liber Manualis by Dhuoda, people learn about how important and  idealized lord-vassal relationships are in medieval history.

The theme of the relationship of lords and vassals plays a large role The Song of Roland. A lord is typically a monarch who is relatively wealthy and has land. In relation to a lord, a vassal is someone who has some form of an obligation to the lord. Historically, vassals demonstrate their allegiance to lords through military support. In exchange for their support, a vassal usually lives on the lord’s land and receives protection.

In The Song of Roland, the main lord-vassal relationship that the author focuses on is between Charlemagne and Roland. Their connection is an idealization of what a lord-vassal relationship is supposed to be like. Roland eloquently expresses his dedication to his relationship with Charlemagne when he talks about how a vassal “must suffer hardships And endure great heat and great cold; And he must lose both hair and hide” (79.1010-1012). His clear passion in relation to following his duty helps paint him as the perfect vassal. Roland is a great warrior who is completely loyal to Charlemagne, his uncle and lord. Charlemagne, the Roman Emperor, is seen as almost God-like. People describe him as a divine being who is “more than two hundred years old. His body has suffered in so many lands…Charles is secure, because he fears no man” (41.539-549). He is a powerful leader, but his power comes from his support system. Many people view Roland as Charlemagne’s main reason for his success and stability. In The Song of Roland, people reveal that if Roland dies, Charlemagne is going to “lose the right arm from his body” (45.597). Roland is an essential member of Charlemagne’s community. He is a steady force that helps Charlemagne maintain the power he has. Without Roland, Charlemagne is not as powerful or secure as a leader.

While the concept of a lord and a vassal may seem to only apply to human beings, God is also involved in this type of relationship, especially in The Song of Roland. God is the ultimate Lord over people, his vassals. Despite his power and strength on earth, Charlemagne is also a vassal of God. God makes the decisions to reward or punish based on the loyalty of his vassals. Roland’s death is an example of God rewarding loyalty; in The Song of Roland, Roland arrogantly chooses to not blow the horn to signal Charlemagne’s troops to come help him. God is able to overlook Roland’s pride and recognize his obedience and faithfulness towards God. Roland’s genuine loyalty and dedication to God is what allows his soul to be carried into heaven by the angels. Human beings are vassals of God. As humans live on God’s earthly kingdom, they are on His land and people have a job to show their respect and dedication to Him. Through acts of faith and obedience, humans are able to demonstrate their genuine connection with God and the heavenly world.

Dhuoda’s Liber Manualis is a guidebook for William, Dhuoda’s son. Dhuoda creates the book as a way to guide her son through his next life experience. Throughout the handbook, she focuses on different things she believes William should know and remember as he embarks on his journey as a vassal under King Charles the Bald. From the beginning, Dhuoda writes about how important it is for William to remain loyal and obedient. To love one’s father and be continuously obedient to them helps a child to be “found worthy to receive God’s benediction from those fathers’ hands” (Dhuoda 269). Dhuoda’s reasoning for remaining loyal to one’s father is relevant in Roland’s experience with God. When he dies, God saves him. His soul is brought into heaven because of his genuine loyalty to both God and Charlemagne. Dhuoda also makes it very clear to William that he is to remain “steadfastly and completely loyal” (Dhuoda 270) to his lord. Unlike in The Song of Roland, Dhuoda is not idealizing the idea of the lord-vassal relationship. She stresses the importance of loyalty and obedience. However, she acknowledges that being a vassal is not easy. There are many rules to obey. Despite the hardships and stress of being a vassal, the reward of being a good vassal is through God. Humans receive “all things from him, whatever seems to be within our power” (Dhuoda 275). Vassals are strong people who dedicate themselves to both God and their lord. Ultimately, their loyalty towards their lord is going to help God see their true colors and potentially lift their souls up to heaven. Dhuoda’s work in Patrick Geary’s Readings in Medieval History provides a personal perspective on the experiences of vassals under their lords.

Dhuoda’s Liber Manualis helps give readers a true perspective of what it means to be a lord-serving vassal. The Song of Roland, the French epic poem, gives present-day readers insight into what life is like during Charlemagne’s rule. Despite the idealized portrayal of a lord-vassal relationship through Roland and Charlemagne, Dhuoda’s work helps portray vassal-lord relationships as a less glamorized concept. Dhuoda’s personalization of the lord-vassal relationship helps give the reader a better chance at conceptualizing what it truly meant to be a good vassal. Without the perspective of both Liber Manualis and The Song of Roland, present day readers would not be able to gain a better understanding of what it was like to serve under lords and God in Western Europe and how it affected people’s lives.