Alexander of Telese ( it, Alessandro Telesino) was an Italian chronicler and historian, and the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

of San Salvatore, near

Telese Telese Terme, called simply Telese until 1991, is a city, ''comune'' (municipality) and former episcopal seat in the Province of Benevento, in the Campania region of southern Italy. It is located in the valley of the Calore, well known for its sulfu ...

, in

southern Italy Southern Italy ( it, Sud Italia or ) also known as ''Meridione'' or ''Mezzogiorno'' (), is a macroregion of the Italian Republic consisting of its southern half. The term ''Mezzogiorno'' today refers to regions that are associated with the peop ...

from before 1127 to before November 1143. His most famous work is ''The Deeds Done by King Roger of Sicily'' (''Gesta Rogeri''), a largely biographical work covering the reign of

Roger II of Sicily Roger II ( it, Ruggero II; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily Roger I ( it, Ruggero I, Arabic: ''رُجار'', ''Rujār''; Maltese: ''Ruġġieru'', – 22 June 1101), nicknamed Rog ...

. This work was written at the request and with the patronage of Matilda, a half-sister of Roger and, from 1131, estranged wife of

Ranulf II, Count of Alife Ranulf II (or Rainulf II, it, Rainulfo; died 30 April 1139) was the count of Alife and Caiazzo, and duke of Apulia. He was a member of the Italo-Norman Drengot family which dominated the Principality of Capua for most of the century between 105 ...

. It covers only the years after 1127 in detail, ending abruptly in 1136. Though written for the sister of Roger and wife of his chiefest enemy, it was definitely sympathetic to Roger. There is a clear contrast with the chronicle of his contemporary

Falco of Benevento Falco of Benevento ( it, Falcone Beneventano; lng, Falco Penevent) was an Italian-Lombard twelfth-century historian, notary and scribe in the papal palace in Benevento, his native city, where he was born to high-standing parents. He is an im ...

, who opposed Roger in everything.

References

Sources

* Norwich, John Julius. ''The Normans in the South 1016-1130''. Longmans:

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, 1967. *Norwich, John Julius. ''The Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194''. Longman:

, 1970. *Alexander of Telese, translated by G. A. Loud. ''The Deeds Done by Roger of Sicily''
Introduction
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*Percy (Strerath), Sandra. ''Les liens d'homme à homme dans l'entourage du roi Roger de Sicile d'après l'«Ystoria Rogerii Regis Sicilie Calabrie atque Apulie d'Alexandre de Telese»'' / ''Interpersonal relationships in the entourage of the King of Sicily, according to the Ystoria Rogerii Regis Sicilie Calabrie atque Apulie of Alexander of Telese''. MA Thesis (Supervising teacher: Mme le Professeur Huguette Taviani-Carozzi). Université de Provence. 2002 {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander of Telese 1143 deaths Italian chroniclers 12th-century Italian historians Year of birth unknown 12th-century Latin writers