ceval sor (de Marganice) [F., AF]; --[MHG], --[ON]

War-horse of a sorrel coat (lighter shade of chestnut^*1), ridden by Marganice the alcaliph, an uncle of King Marsile.
"The alcaliph" is a saracen title, and is presumably a corruption of "caliph". Also, it is only in the O-text (Oxford U. ms.) that his name "Marganice" is identified.

Marganice , the alcaliph and Marsile's Uncle:

Alcaliph (Alcalyph, Algalyph) is a title of rank (the "al-caliph") (l'algalife ch. de Roland, XXXVII l. 493) but medieval German and Norse translators mistook it for a proper name^*2 (Algalises(KdG), Algarich (RL)[MHG], Langalif[ON]).

However, the Alcaliph whom Marsile refers to as his uncle^*3 and Marganice who is Marsile's uncle (sis uncles, Marganices CXLIII, ll.1913-4) probably should be considered the one and the same^*4.

§ An attempt at clarifying the title "alcaliph"

Alcaliph must certainly a corruption of "al-caliph".

If we examine real history, the "caliph" which contemporaneous with Charlemagne's reign would have to be Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad (e.g. Harun al-Rashid, the fifth in line).

    However, the Abassid caliph had the power to appoint its governorship over Egypt (the Amir). In those days, the gubernatorial capital sat at Al-Fustat, just south of what was later to become Cairo and just north of the fort of Babilon.
    Which means that an Abassid caliph would be an overlord of the "Baligant, amir of Babilon" character, and thus would far outstrip Marsile's uncle-figure in terms of rank.

    But we could plausibly semi-identify "the alcaliph" with the Caliphate of Córdoba 929-1031 which ruled over southern Spain, even though it is somewhat of an anachronism. This also leads me to suspect that Margariz of Seville isn't just a person with a name similar to Marganice, but the one and the same person. But more on this later.

Though the Abbasids once claimed legitimacy of being the rightful "caliph," later in history, other "pretender" caliphs appeared, such as the caliphs of Córdoba as already mentioned, and the caliphs of the Fatimid empire that conquered Egypt in 969. (Of course, calling the Abbasids legitimate and the others usurpers of the title is strictly from the viewpsoint of the Sunni orthodoxy.)

For other Saracen titles of rank, consult the Table of Saracen Titles (Rank/Offices) which I created in the past.

§ The Mortal Fight of Margaice vs. Oliver

The narrator introduces us to the "sore" (sorrel, or bright chestnut-coated) horse ridden by Marsile, and in the same breath he says that the saracen has striken a death wound on Oliver^*1:

Li Marganices sist sur un ceval sor, Brochet le ben des esperuns a or, 1945 Fiert Oliver derere en mi le dos. (— laisse CXLV, ll.1943-5)

Their alcaliph upon a sorrel rode, And pricked it well with both his spurs of gold; 1945 Struck Oliver, behind, on the back-bone, (— CXLV, ll.1943-5)

But Oliver while moribund manages to kill Marganice (the alcaliph) with his ⇒ Halteclere.

§ Possible Identification of Marganice = Margariz

Margariz of Sibile (Marganice de Sibilie ch. de Roland, LXXVII l.955; Margariez. . von . . Tazzarie und Sibilje (KdG), Margariz uon Sibiliae(RL)[MHG], Margariz af Sibilia (Sibilborg) [ON])

We are returning to the matter of whether a Margariz of Sibile (Seville), one of the "Saracen twelve" ("Marsile's douzepers") is in fact the same as uncle Marganice. -- Traditionally though, they have been treated as distinct characters, despite the close resemblance in the name.

Probably the description of Margariz as one possessed of beauty that steals the hearts of woman makes it hard to associate him with "Marsile's uncle".

First off, it is worth noting that something quite peculiar happens to Margariz in the narrative of of the Song of Roland. While still in the midway point of the battle of Roncesvalles, we hear of Margariz fighting Oliver to a stalemate, and afterwards we cease to hear of this Saracen at all, so that we do not know what became of him. It is usually assumed that Margariz survived and went to report to Marsile, as happens in the Norse version^*2. But this particular detail found in the Norse saga just may be an instance of supplementation written up to remedy shortfalls and inconsistencies, which the saga writers engage in.

An alternative is that Margariz is really Marganice, and he ultimately suffers death by Oliver's hands. Let us begin by examining Margariz' land holdings.

He is style Margariz of Sibile and thus he is based in Seville. He further "holds the land by Cadiz, to the sea."
And he has territorial holdings in parts of Africa, "Alferne(?), Kartagene (Carthage), Garmalie(?),/And Ethiope" (Ki tint Kartagene, Alfrere, Garmalie/E Ethiope CXLIII, l.1915-6)

Earlier, it was proposed that "the algaliph" could be identified with the "Caliph of Cordoba." And Cordoba is only 82 mi. NE of Seville. The port of Cadíz which serve it is nearby as well (95 mi SSW of Seville). Thus one might venture to argue their equivalence.

Mention of Carthage is also interesting, since Carthage (or Tunisia) was the home base of the Fatimids before they succeeded in conquering Egypt. Hence Margariz is a charcter that has a bit of the Cordoba caliph and some of the Fatimid caliph admixed in him.

These considerations are far from conclusive. But recall that in one of the German tellings, the Karl der Gross, Algariez (i.e., "the algaliph") is referred to as the the king of Kartâge! This is a detail not found in the French. But it is certainly a hint that "the algalif" and Marganiz might be the same person, both of them being described as ruler of Carthage in one source or another.

In the French version, Margariz is the owner of a sword with a gilt hilt which was a gift to him from "the admiral of Primes" (LXXVII, l.967).

§ Misc.

Because of the fact that the sor ("sorrel") is easily mistaken for the preposition sor (mod.F. sûr, "on, upon") it could be lost in translation, and thus the color of the coat seems to have been left out from the German and Norse versions.