<P> The Latin palatinus referred to an official of the Roman Emperor connected to the imperial palace on the Palatine Hill . Over time this word came to refer to other high - level officials in the imperial, majestic and royal courts . The word palatine, used in various European countries in the medieval and modern eras, has the same derivation . </P> <P> By the 13th century words referring specifically to Charlemagne's peers began appearing in European languages; the earliest is the Italian paladino . Modern French has paladin, Spanish has paladín or paladino (reflecting alternate derivations from the French and Italian), while German has Paladin . By extension "paladin" has come to refer to any chivalrous hero such as King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table . </P> <P> Paladin was also used to refer to the leaders of armies supporting the Protestant Frederick V in the Thirty Years' War ending in 1648 . </P> <P> In their earliest appearances the paladins were not the companions of Charlemagne, but of his vassal Roland . This Roland is based on the historical figure Hruodland mentioned by Charlemagne's biographer Einhard as a Lord of the Breton March who died in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 . Nothing else is known of him . By the end of the 12th century the paladins were increasingly thought of as an association reporting to the king after the fashion of the Round Table; the earliest romance to portray them in this way is Fierabras, dating to around 1170 . </P>

Who was paladin in uruk in ancient literature