Turoldus or Turold is the name traditionally given to the author of the 11th-century French poem ''
The Song of Roland
''The Song of Roland'' (french: La Chanson de Roland) is an 11th-century ''chanson de geste'' based on the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 AD, during the reign of the Carolingian king Charlemagne. It is t ...
''. Efforts to make a convincing further identification of the identity of Turoldus have failed. The Latin form ''Turoldus'' is equivalent to the personal name Thorold.
The
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...
manuscript of ''The Song of Roland'', deemed the oldest, ends with the name Turoldus, but the preceding phrase is ambiguous and does not safely allow the interpretation that the role of Turoldus was that of author. The abbot and the bishop of that name, at the end of the 11th century, respectively in
Peterborough
Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...
and
Bayeux
Bayeux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Calvados (department), Calvados Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in northwestern France.
Bayeux is the home of the Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts ...
, can by no means be tied to the work. The name "Turold" occurring in the
Bayeux Tapestry similarly has given no traction on the identification.
See also
*
Turold de Brémoy
Turold de Brémoy was Bishop of Bayeux in the 12th century.
Turold was appointed bishop by King William Rufus, nephew of Bishop Odo of Bayeux.
Though appointed in 1097, Turoldus did not take possession until 1099. In 1105 Henry I of England made ...
, Bishop of Bayeux who succeeded Odo.
*
Turold, knight of Bayeux
Notes
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French poets