ABSTRACT
As the legend of Charlemagne grew, the memory of his historical grandfather, a Mayor of the Palace, rather than a king, steadily faded. Pio Rajna has suggested that Mainet was originally about Charles Martel, whose rise to power was much more difficult than his grandson’s. The poet of Orson de Beauvais [item 2507] calls his king both Charlemagne and Charles Martel. In some works, even Charles the Bald--Charlemagne’s grandson--is confused with Charles Martel or Charlemagne (as in Girart de Roussillon).
