Abstract
<jats:p>The article analyses the formation of militaristic features in the image of the clergy within the epic tradition of Charlemagne. Chansons de geste reflected medieval society’s perceptions of the ambivalent nature of the clergy and their functions in military conflicts. Thus, one of Charlemagne's most popular companions was archbishop Turpin. Warlike temper was characteristic of the archbishop already in the oral tradition. Even in the Pseudo-Turpin Chronicle, which recorded the clerical viewpoint of the legend of the march to Spain, we can detect a mention of the archbishop's fights with the Saracens. In the Song of Roland, Turpin appears not only as an archbishop but also as one of Charlemagne’s twelve peers. His deeds are described expressively and emotionally. The archbishop, in his speech, separates himself from the monks, who are incapable of fighting. This internal opposition is developed in the Song of Aspremont, composed during the Third Crusade. In this poem, the pope is the spiritual leader of Charlemagne’s campaign in Italy, whose sermon likens franks to crusaders. Turpin is described as a young knight, who is unwilling to limit himself to the role of preacher or standard-bearer, leading to an argument with the pontiff. In XIIIth c. the story «Gesta Karoli Magni ad Carcassonam et Narbonam» was composed at St Mary’s abbey in Lagrass. Focusing on the erection of the monastery, this story narrates Charlemagne's march to the southern frontiers of his kingdom. In spite of the archbishop and the pope, he is followed in this campaign by numerous prelates. However, their functions are not limited to spiritual ones: clerics take part in battles, leading the troops, killing pagans and getting killed. «Gesta Karoli Magni» articulates the image of a noble knight monk, who stands up against the Saracens in defense of the monastery of Lagrasse. Thus, the militarization of the clergy affected medieval people’s ideas about society, whose ideals were crystallized in epics.</jats:p>