Who was the Norman juggler who performed before the battle?

The Norman juggler who performed before the Battle of Hastings was Taillefer.

Taillefer was a Norman jongleur, or minstrel, who accompanied William the Conqueror during the invasion of England in 1066. Medieval accounts describe him riding before the Norman army, singing about Charlemagne and Roland while performing feats with his sword. The spectacle was both entertainment and a deliberate act of provocation before the fighting began.

The surviving stories differ in detail. Some say Taillefer killed an English soldier who came out to challenge him, then charged the shield wall and died; others describe him killing several opponents before being overwhelmed. His personal name is uncertain, although “Ivo Taillefer” is sometimes given. Taillefer is a surname meaning “hewer of iron,” not a confirmed first name.

The episode is absent from the Bayeux Tapestry, and historians regard parts of the story as legendary. Even so, Taillefer is the single conventional answer to this quiz question.