Blondel

Blondel, the famous troubadour of the 11th century, was born at Nesle in Picardy, and attached himself to the service of Richard I. of England, whom he followed in his various expeditions. The story of the minstrel's discovery of his master by singing outside the prison into which the latter had been thrown by Leopold of Austria belongs to historical fiction, and is first found in the Chronicles of Rheims, no earlier than the 13th century. Several songs attributed to this personage are extant, but some critics believe that Robert Blondel, the chaplain to Marie d'Anjou (1400-1461), was really their author.