Alexander of Telese was an Italian chronicler and historian, and the abbot

Abbot

The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...

 of San Salvatore, near Telese

Telese

Telese Terme, called simply Telese until 1991, is a city and comune 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 hot sulfur springs.-History Telesia:...

, in southern Italy from before 1127 to before November 1143.

His most famous work is The Deeds Done by King Roger of Sicily, a largely biographical work covering the reign of Roger II of Sicily

Roger II of Sicily

Roger II was King of Sicily, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, later became Duke of Apulia and Calabria , then King of Sicily...

. 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, Count of Alife

Ranulf II was the count of Alife and Caiazzo, and for a contested period, Duke of Apulia. He was a member of the Norman Drengot clan which ruled Aversa and Capua for most of the century between 1050 and 1150. As the third Ranulf in his family he is sometimes called Ranulf III...

. 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

Falco of Benevento was an Italian 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 important chronicler for the years between 1102 and 1139 in the Mezzogiorno...

, who opposed Roger in everything.

Sources

• Norwich, John Julius
  John Julius Norwich
  John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich CVO — known as John Julius Norwich — is an English historian, travel writer and television personality.-Early life:...
  
  . The Normans in the South 1016-1130. Longmans: London
  London
  London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
  
  , 1967.
• Norwich, John Julius
  John Julius Norwich
  John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich CVO — known as John Julius Norwich — is an English historian, travel writer and television personality.-Early life:...
  
  . The Kingdom in the Sun 1130-1194. Longman: London
  London
  London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
  
  , 1970.
• Alexander of Telese, translated by G. A. Loud. The Deeds Done by Roger of Sicily. Introduction and Books One, Two, Three, and Four
• 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