[1] It is believed that Fantosme was an Italian (named Giordano Fantasma) who came to England in the train of Henry of Blois.
On the other hand, Fantosme may have simply identified with his adopted country, he referred to messengers of William, who were also subjects of the Young King, as noz (ours).
Fantosme was in fact a partisan of Henry II, though his work has been noted for its impartiality and admired for its detail and vigour.
This hypothesis rests in part on the assumption that Fantosme integrated some characteristics of Occitan verse (perhaps coblas by the troubadour Jaufre Rudel) he encountered during a stay in Poitiers in the 1140s, where he probably studied under Gilbert de la Porrée.
[3] Fantosme was a contemporary and often claimed to be an eye-witness of the events he describes, but another probable source is Richard of Ilchester, his bishop.