Renaud de Montauban

Renaud is the hero of epic named after him, Chanson de Renaud de Montauban, or Les Quatre Fils Aymon. Renaud was a son of Aymon de Dordogne, and brother of Alard, Guiscard, and Richard. Amyon was one of the sons of Doon de Mayence.

According to the Italian romance Orlando Furioso (written by Ludovico Ariosto), he was called Rinaldo, and he was brother of a sister named Bradamante. In this work, he was also seen as the cousin of Orlando (Roland). Both Rinaldo and Bradamante played prominent roles in Orlando Furioso.

He was the owner of a magical horse named Bayard, extremely loyal to Renaud, and strong enough to carry all four brothers.

In Renaud de Montauban, Renaud killed Charlemagne's nephew, earning him the disfavour of the king. Renaud and his brothers fled to Montessor, a fortress on a rock. Charlemagne waged war against the four brothers, besieging Montessor. Their father Aymon took the king's side. Charlemagne only agreed to pardon the four sons of Aymon, if they went and fought in a Crusade at Jerusalem as banishment. Renaud also had to give up his horse, Bayard.

Charlemagne didn't like the horse's unwavering loyalty to his former master, so Charlemagne ordered his men to drown the horse by tying him to a heavy millstone, which was then tossed into a river. Bayard however escaped and eventually found his way to Renaud.

After the Crusade, Renaud went to Cologne, where he decided to retire, turning toward a life of religion. He began by helping the builders to build a cathedral for no wages. Some builders were jealous, possibly because of his strength, so they murdered him and dumped his body in the Rhine River. His body was recovered at Dortmund, where he was buried.

In Orlando Furioso, Rinaldo became Orlando's rival, because they both fell in love with a Saracen princess from Africa named Angelica.