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A Song of Roland is a timeline written by Scarecrow.
History
Sometime in the second half of 2005, while he was supposed to be reserching something else, Scarecrow developed the core idea, but it was not until the end of 2006 that the timeline was started.
POD
The Point of Divergence for The Song of Roland is that in 778, when Charlemagne began his campaign into Spain, his Saracen ally Suleiman captures the city of Saragosa.
This POD leads to Charlemagnes Empire not falling apart after his death, and although an Emperors power is reliant upon gaining and maintaining the support of the Kings in the Empire. Charlemagne's conquest of Denmark in 814 butterflied away some of the Vikings, leading to the rise of Northumbria in the British isles, and the establishment of two Norwegian established states: the Kingdom of Piktland and the Kingdom of Dublin by the end of the 9th Century.
Format
The timeline is divided into sections known as Songs. Before each song is a brief prologue in which several of the key players in the period meet posthumously with a figure known as either Erasmus or Tim. His role in the timeline is not yet known. The actual timeline itself is written in two styles: The first, a narration by Erasmus, the second being written in third person point of view of siginificant events.
The timeline is expected to run until the end of the 15th Century, covering roughly 8 centuries of alternate history.
A Song of Charlemagne (completed): Covers the life of Charlemagne from 778 to 814.
A Song of Empire (in progress): Covers the period of 814 to the middle of the 10th Century.
A Song of Kings (proposed): Covers the period of time from the middle of the 10th Century to the late 11th Century.
A Song of Conquest (proposed): the late 11th century to the 1240's.