The lord-vassal relationship is portrayed as divinely ordained by God himself and is idealized and internalized by all characters in The Song of Roland. Dhouda’s letter to her son William gives us another perspective of the lord-vassal relationship. It is a relationship based on the feudal system that governed society during the time. The main value of the feudal system was the lord-vassal relationship, with Christ at the head. The King is a direct representative of Christ, and underneath are ranked vassals. King Charlemagne is the lord and Roland is his vassal. In Dhouda’s letter, her husband Bernard is the lord and their son William is the vassal. In short, the person with a higher ranking in society is the lord and the person with a lower ranking is the vassal. The ultimate mission of the lord and his vassal is to further the kingdom of Christ. The theme of both texts, centers around the inevitable triumph of good over evil with loyalty at the root.

In order to delve into the lord-vassal relationship, three main points will be covered. First of all, the importance of the lord-vassal relationship will be outlined from both perspectives. Dhouda’s letter will be used to highlight the parental lord-vassal relationship. Secondly, both texts are written from the Christian perspective and pagans are considered evil; God’s words are used / manipulated to presuppose dominance and victory. Thirdly, it is ghastly for a vassal to be disloyal, and therefore motives must be reconstrued to align with the values of the lord-vassal relationship. This is evident in The Song of Roland with the character Ganelon, and in Dhouda’s letter as she recounts biblical characters’ downfalls with relation to the grace of God.

The most important thing to a vassal is loyalty to his lord. “For our King we must be prepared to die. Help us now sustain the Christian faith,” (The Song of Roland, p. 65, lines 1128-1129). Roland is talking about his lord Charlemagne. He is willing to die for his king; in fact, it is a divine honor. In addition, it is important to note that promoting and furthering the Christian faith is a central component in the lord-vassal relationship. In Dhouda’s letter to her son, her husband Bernard is the lord. “So I urge you again, most beloved son William, that first of all you love God as I have written above. Then love, fear, and cherish your father. Keep in mind that your worldly estate proceeds from his,” (p. 269). We start to see the idea that serving one’s lord will cause the vassal to be blessed with worldly goods. Dhouda states that her son will have an estate based on his service to his father / vassal. In The Song of Roland, the vassal will experience victory as they are divinely appointed.

There is a contrast in the two texts. In The Song of Roland the lord is dutifully bound in heart and soul to his vassal. “If anyone could bring about Roland’s death, Then Charles would lose his right arm from his body,” (p.47., lines 596-597). The bond between lord-vassal is not one-way; the lord is lost without his God appointed vassal. The connection is deeper than loyalty as it is divinely inspired. In contrast, Dhouda’s letter to her son speaks only of Williams obligation to be loyal to his father. She uses many biblical examples of vassals being loyal to their lords, but she does not offer a worldly example of lord to vassal fealty. Dhouda does not cite Bernard’s fealty to William. In my opinion, Dhouda is presenting the case to William that God is the ultimate lord, and submission to one’s father is a command. The reader is left wondering about Bernard’s role and feelings in the lord-vassal relationship with his son.

The role of the Christian faith is the foundation of both texts. In fact, non-Christians are considered evil. That said, it is important to note the lord-vassal relationship is an ingrained part of the Muslim religion too. “Muhammad is worth more than Saint Peter of Rome; If you serve him victory will be yours.” (The Song of Roland, p. 58, line 920). The Christians and the Muslims are not so different. In fact, it is fair to say the main difference is the god they worship. On page 69 in The Song of Roland, the author states that when a pagan dies, satan takes their soul, (verse 5041). In contrast Oliver says, “our battle is a noble one,” (The Song of Roland, p. 60, line 1274). In Dhouda’s letter, she uses scripture to present her divine case of fealty to Bernard. Dhouda outlines Biblical characters to make this summative point; “Therefore, my son William, fear immoral men and seek out worthy ones,” (p. 273). Essentially both texts support Christianity and define all others as evil and immoral. The non-Christian lord-vassals are destined for failure. In contrast, failure is not an option for a Christian lord or vassal.

It is very interesting that in both texts, disloyalty and dishonesty is so egregious that a vassal must reframe his motives to align with the bond of the lord-vassal covenant. For example, Ganelon (Roland’s stepfather) weaves a deceptive plan with King Marsile’s vassal Blancandrin to leave Roland at the rear-guard where he will surely be killed. Ganelon’s plan was revealed and was called treasonous, but he would not allow or admit to breaking the covenant of the lord-vassal relationship. “Roland wronged me in respect of gold and wealth; For which reason I sought his death and his woe,” (The Song of Roland, p. 148, verse 3758-3759). Ganelon speaks of revenge and refutes disloyalty; there is nothing worse than acting outside the lord-vassal relationship.

Similarly, in Dhouda’s letter to her son, she cites many Biblical characters that were both sinful and loyal to God: Solomon and Abraham (pp. 268 & 270). Dhouda presents all Biblical characters as high celestial beings and makes no mention of their failings. “Many others who have been obedient to God and mindful of the commands of a devoted father have been honored and respected in the secular world and have safely reached that heavenly reward for which they struggled,” (p. 270). In short, it is unfathomable to be dishonest or disloyal if one is a Christian vassal. Reframing is necessary to keep the lord-vassal in its divinely ordered and idealized place. Furthermore, it is imperative for the vassal to maintain and present a pure and valiant reputation for his lord. “Now let each man take care to strike great blows, So that no one can sing a shameful song about us. The pagans are wrong and the Christians are right. No dishonorable tale with ever be told about me,” (The Song of Roland, p. 61, lines 1013-1016). Appearances are everything in the lord-vassal relationship.

In summary, the lord-vassal relationship is presented as divinely inspired. The bond so important that God ordained the relationship and rules. Disloyalty between lord and vassal is worse than death and must be avoided or rewritten. A vassal would gladly die for his lord. The lord would be lost without his vassal. The relationship is idealized and resembles fantasy and fiction.