You often see the depiction of songs being written after historic events within media such as tv and film. Are there any surviving evidence of such songs or bards tales?
Hi,
I would say yes, we do have several examples of sogns, poems and other retellings of battles and tournaments.
Here are some that come readily to mind:
William Marshal was a knight errant/tournament champion who became very rich (and was made an Earl and guardian to the king) basically as a self-made man thanks to his fighting skills. He commissioned a poem of his life.
Several epic poems such as the one about El Cid and the Song of Roland.
Some troubadouric poems (this might be the closest to what you were looking for) that talk of battle. In general, troubadoric poetry focuses on love, but I'm pretty sure they would have mentioned fighting as well in at least some.
There are several accounts of wars, fights etc written by historians of the time. Histories usually were not written by contemporaries, but we would have a few other sources as well. These would not be in verse but in prose.
Hope this helps.