Taillifer

Taillifer was a Norman soldier, possessed of an engaging singing voice.

Fiction

Taillifer was part of the army of William, Duke of Normandy. On or around the 13th of October, 1066, William's men engaged the forces of King Harold in Senlac. Before the fighting began, Taillifer rode out onto the empty battlefield and sang the song of his people to rally the troops. United in their love of their country and their God, the Normans began their assault. The Battle of Hastings – The True Story.

Notes

• "Taillifer" is based on Taillefer (first name unknown), a minstrel and juggler who travelled with William the Conqueror's men. He sang La Chanson de Roland to taunt the Anglo-Saxons.
• Taillifer's song depicted goes "God is with us / God is with us / Cross of Christ / Holy Christ". It's not La Chanson de Roland; the first two lines have more in common with the 1896 hymn "God is with us" by Walter John Mathams, but the other two don't seem to be any common him. What song the comic was meant to feature is probably lost in translation, having gone from French via Dutch before getting to English.