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The Matter of France, also known as the '''Carolingian cycle''', is a body of Legendary History that springs from the Old French Medieval Literature of the '' Chansons De Geste ''. Its tales were first developed in these Epic s, but the stories they told lived on after the medieval epics themselves were no longer widely read. It was contrasted by medieval French writers with the Matter Of Britain , the legendary history of the British Isles ; and the Matter Of Rome , which represented the medieval poets' interpretations of Greek Mythology and the History of Classical Antiquity . The three names were bestowed by the Twelfth Century French poet Jean Bodel , author of the '' Chanson De Saisnes '', a ''chanson de geste'' in which he wrote: Ne sont que iij matières à nul homme atandant, De France et de Bretaigne, et de Rome la grant. ::(There are but three Literary Cycles that no one should be without: the matter of France, of Britain, and of great Rome.) Central figures of the Matter of France include Charlemagne and his Paladin s, especially Roland , Hero of the '' Chanson De Roland '', and Oliver , a hero who was frequently cast in conflict with the Muslim champion Fierabras . Originally, the Matter of France contained tales of War and martial valour, being focused on the conflict between the Franks and Saracen s or Moors during the period of Charles Martel and Charlemagne. The ''Chanson de Roland'', for example, is about the Battle Of Roncevaux Pass during the Moorish invasion of southern France. As the Genre matured, elements of Fantasy and Magic tended to accrue to the tales. The magic Horse Bayard , for example, is a recurring figure in many of the tales. TRADITIONAL CLASSIFICATION About 1215 Bertrand De Bar-sur-Aube , in the introductory lines to his ''Girart de Vienne'', set out a subdivision of the Matter of France into three cycles, which have been adopted by many modern critics as a useful means of grouping the ''chansons de geste''. These are his words:
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