Turstin FitzRolf

This knight depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry is sometimes stated to depict Turstin FitzRolf, but is in fact more likely to be Eustace II, Count of Boulogne as the knight appears below the marginal legend E[...]TIUS, a Latinised version of Eustace.[1] His finger pointing to Duke William, whose left hand holding a club before the word DUX can be seen on the left side of the frame, seems to depict his urging the Duke to retreat, as the account in William of Poitiers relates of Eustace. The attribution to Turstin FitzRolf might otherwise have been plausible, due to the depicted figure's carrying of a pennon depicting a cross, apparently the Papal Banner. Turstin was described as having carried the "Gonfannon of the Normans" by Orderic Vitalis

Turstin fitz Rolf, also known as Turstin le Blanc and Tustein fitz Rou (Old Norse: Þorsteinn Hrólfsson) played a prominent role in the Norman conquest of England and is regarded as one of the few proven companions of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

He appears to have originated from Bec-de-Mortagne, Pays de Caux, Normandy,

  1. ^ Douglas, David C. (ed.) English Historical Documents 1042-1189, London, 1959. Bayeux Tapestry, p.238