Broilles, Broisses, Floires, Flollo, Follon, Frailles, Freol, Froille, Froilles, Frolei, Froles, Froll, Frolle, Frolles, Frolls, Fullon, Thomas Flollo, Troilles
In Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia, the steward of France under Emperor Leo of Rome or a Roman tribune who ruled Gaul for Emperor Leo.
Frolle, who was a head taller than most men, tried to take advantage of Arthur’s war with Claudas to invade Gaul himself. When Arthur invaded Gaul at the start of his Roman campaign, he defeated Frollo in battle. Arthur, arriving in Gaul, said that his own claim was older than Frolle’s, since Uther Pendragon had been suzerain of Faramon, King of Gaul, in King Ban’s day.
Frollo fled and took refuge in Paris, where Arthur besieged the city. Realising that the city could not hope to withstand a lengthy siege, Frollo challenged Arthur to a single combat to decide the fate of Gaul. The battle was long and difficult, and Frollo managed to inflict a wound on Arthur. King Arthur eventually killed Frollo with Excalibur and Paris surrendered to Arthur, with Gaul capitulating shortly afterwards.
In the Gesta Regum Britanniae, it is Merlin’s magic that saves Arthur during his fight with Frollo. Robert of Gloucester places the battle between Arthur and Frollo on an island.
This is, at least, the conventional view of Frollo. The Prose Tristan does not differ from this view, but adds that Frollo had a son named Samaliel of Gauna, who went on to become a renowned knight (knighted by Galahad). The Vulgate Version, Prose Lancelot says he was an ally of King Claudas and a claimant to the throne of France (Gaul). Elsewhere he is said to have been a German who became King of Gaul.
The Vulgate Lancelot and Merlin locate this story in a larger saga of Arthur’s battles against King Claudas and the Roman Pontius Anthony. Here, Frollo, the emperor or duke of Germany, Lamanha, or Gauna, join Anthony and Claudas in a war against Arthur, Ban and Bors. Arthur was victorius. Much later, Frollo challenged Arthur for control of Gaul with the result given by Geoffrey.
Palamedes names Frollo’s father as Ariohan.
Sources
Historia Regum Britanniae | Geoffrey of Monmouth, c. 1138
Roman de Brut | Wace, c. 1155
Brut | Layamon, late 12th century to mid-13th century
Vulgate Lancelot | 1215-1230
Vulgate Merlin | 1220-1235
Post-Vulgate Queste del Saint Graal | 1230-1240
Palamedes | c. 1240
Prose Tristan | 1230-1240
Gesta Regum Britanniae | Mid-13th century
The Chronicle of Robert of Gloucester | Robert of Gloucester, late 13th century