the "song of roland", an 11th-century old french epic poem, may have served as the inspiration for the name "california". the poem refers to the defeat suffered august 15, 778, in the retreat of charlemagne's army at the hands of the basque army in battle of roncevaux pass in the pyrenees. on line 2924 of the poem, which is in verse number ccix (209), the word "califerne" is one of the lands mentioned, with no indication of its geographic location. it is, however, named after a reference to "affrike", or africa.