'The Death of Roland at Roncesvalles', (778AD), 1890. The Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 was a Basque ambush of Charlemagne's army which resulted in the death of Roland who became iconic in medieval European folklore as a noble Christian killed by Islamic forces. From "Cassell's Illustrated Universal History, Vol. III - The Middle Ages", by Edmund Ollier. [Cassell and Company, Limited, London, Paris and Melbourne, 1890. ]