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The most important work of the cycle is the 11th-century epic poem La Chanson de Roland. It tells the story of Charlemagne's nephew Roland, leader of the rear guard of his uncle's army, as he is ambushed by the Saracens in the Pyrenees Mountains. Though this is an account of a real battle, numerous details have been embellished and altered (such as the fact that the attackers were in fact not Saracens but Basques). Over the next few centuries many subsequent authors expanded on this storyline and added new ones. Notable characters also include Oliver, Ganelon and Renaud de Montauban.
Later, in the Renaissance era, the Italian poet Matteo Maria Boiardo produced the epic poem Orlando Innamorato, in which Roland is known by the Italian form Orlando. This story was continued 30 years later by Ludovico Ariosto with Orlando Furioso. Other characters in these works are Angelica, Rinaldo, Ruggiero and Bradamante.