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In Virgil's Aeneid , Turnus was the King of the Rutuli, and the chief antagonist of the hero Aeneas. Prior to Aeneas' arrival in Italy, Turnus was the primary potential suitor of Lavinia, daughter of Latinus, King of the Latin people. Upon Aeneas' arrival, however, Lavinia is promised to the Trojan prince. Juno, determined to prolong the suffering of the Trojans, prompts Turnus to demand a war with the new arrivals. King Latinus is greatly displeased with Turnus, but steps down and allows the war to commence.

During the War between the Latins and the Trojans (along with several other Trojan allies, including King Evander's Arcadians), Turnus proves himself to be hot-headed but brave. In Book IX, he nearly takes the entire fortress of the Trojans after defeating many opponents, but is saved from death by Juno.

In Book X, Turnus slays the son of Evander, the young prince Pallas. Enraged, Aeneas seeks out the Rutulian King with full intent of killing him. The narrator of the Aeneid marks the death of Pallas by mentioning the inevitable downfall of Turnus. To prevent his death at the hands of Aeneas, Juno conjures a ghost apparition of Aeneas, luring Turnus onto a ship and to his safety. Turnus takes great offense at this action, questioning his worth and even contemplating suicide.

In Book XII, Aeneas and Turnus duel to the death; Aeneas gains the upper hand amidst a noticeably Iliad-esque chase sequence (Turnus and Aeneas run around the lines of men several times, similar to the duel of Achilles and Hector). Turnus begs Aeneas either to spare him or give his body back to his people, but Aeneas declines and finishes him. The last line of the poem describes Turnus' unhappy passage into the Underworld.

Turnus' supporters included Latinus's wife, Amata, Juturna, his sister and minor river/ fountain diety, Mezentius, the deposed king of the Etruscans, and Queen Camilla of the Volsci, who helped him fight Aeneas.