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For other uses of Paladin, see Paladin (disambiguation).

A paladin is the prototypical " knight in shining armour," a hero of sterling character and courage, who rights wrongs and defends the weak and oppressed. The word comes from Latin word palatinus ("attached to the palace"). The original paladins of legend were the heroes of the Chanson de Roland and the other romances of chivalry told about the legendary court of King Charlemagne. There were originally twelve paladins attached to Charlemagne's court. The best known list comes from the Italian epics of Tasso and Ariosto and their successors; it includes:

• Astolpho , descended from Charles MartelSee also: Charles Martel d'Anjou (1271-1295). Charles Martel (Charles the Hammer) ( August 23, 686- October 22 741) was born in Herstal, Wallonia, Belgium, the illegitimate son of Pepin II (635 or 640 December 16 714) and his concubine Apaida or Chalpaida, handsome and swaggering; he was Roland's cousin, and went to the moonFor other moons in the solar system see natural satellite. For other uses see Moon (disambiguation). The Moon is the only natural satellite of Earth. It has no formal name other than "The Moon" although it is occasionally called Luna ( Latin for moon to d to fetch back Roland's brains when he went mad, as told in Orlando Furioso.
• Ferumbras the SaracenFor the rugby club Saracens see Saracens (rugby club The term Saracen comes from Greek sarakenoi''. In the early centuries of the Roman Empire it was used as the name of an Arab tribe in the Sinai, apparently taken from the Arabic word sharqiyyin ("easter who became a Christian.
• Florismart , friend of Orlando
• Ganelon the betrayer, who appears in the InfernoThe word inferno has several meanings: An alternate word for hell. Dante's Inferno is the first volume of The Divine Comedy''. Inferno is an operating system for creating and supporting distributed services. Inferno is a science fiction novel written by L by Dante AlighieriDante Alighieri (May/June 1265 September 13/14, 1321) was a Florentine poet. His greatest work, La divina commedia The Divine Comedy , is a culminating statement of the medieval world view and the basis of the modern Italian language. Life Early life and
• Maugris the sorcererMagic (also called magick to distinguish it from stage magic) is a supposed way of influencing the world through supernatural, mystical, or paranormal means. This article provides an overview of specific magical traditions and practices. It also discusses
• Namo
• Ogier the DaneOgier the Dane is a fictional hero who first appears in the Old French chanson de geste''. According to his legend, he was the son of Geoffrey, king of Denmark. In one account, he had a son who was slain by Charlot, son of Charlemagne; seeking revenge, he, in more recent years the subject of a story by Poul Anderson
• Oliver, rival to Roland
• Otuel , another converted Saracen
• Rinaldo
• Roland, called Orlando in Italian, the chief hero among the paladins. He was Charlemagne’s nephew.
• Guy de Bourgogne

A different and much earlier listing of the twelve Peers of France is contained in the Chanson de Roland; this list names:

• Roland
• Olivier
• Gérin
• Gérier
• Bérengier
• Otton
• Samson
• Engelier
• Ivon
• Ivoire
• Anséis
• Girard

Tales of the paladins of Charlemagne once rivalled the stories of King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table in popularity. Ludovico Ariosto and Torquato Tasso, whose works were once as widely read and respected as Shakespeare's, were the principal poets who wrote tales of the epic deeds of the paladins. The tales that were told of the paladins revolved around the wars between the Franks and the Moors during the Islamic conquests of Spain and their invasion of southern France. Their adventures were known as the "Matter of Charlemagne" or " Matter of France," even as the adventures of King Arthur and his knights were known as the " Matter of Britain."

The late nineteenth century Celtic revival benefitted the Arthurian material and caused it to be reworked and recirculated. No such aura of latter-day romance could assist the Charlemagne material, which was strongly Christian and triumphalist in its presentation. As a result, in the twentieth century Arthur and his Camelot are well known while the paladins of Charlemagne, who once enjoyed equal renown, are mostly forgotten.