Wace

Wace , born towards 1115 with Jersey and died after 1170, is a poet Anglo-Norman.

He passes his youth to Caen and makes his studies either in Chartres or with Paris. Towards the end of its life, he is canon with Bayeux. He is known for his three major works:

a series of lives of saints: Saint Nicolas , Holy Marguerite and Design of Notre Dame , made up in Octosyllabic S.
the Romance Crude or Gross of England (towards 1155), dedicated to Aliénor of Aquitaine.
the Romance of Rou , an epopee on the dukes of Normandy.

These the last two texts are also in worms.

The Roman of Crude , of which was inspired inter alia Chrétien by Troyes, itself is largely inspired by the Historia regum Britanniae of Geoffroy de Monmouth. Wace tells there the legend of the King Arthur into which it introduces free-Norman elements and emphasizes the role of Roundtable. It gives also the name of Excalibur to the sword of Arthur and connects the Christian knights to certain Celtic traditions , association from which will be born the Chevaliers from the Roundtable.

Wace thus tells its life in the Roman of Rou ( III , 5299-5318):

one wonders who Co dist,
which ceste estoire in romanz fist,
OJ di E will say that OJ sui
Wace of the isle of Gersui,
which is at sea towards occident,
Al fieu of Normendie apent.
In the isle of Gersui fled nose,
has Chaem fled petiz carry,
illoques fled has letres put,
fled pea long in learned France;
as OJ of France will repairai
has Chaem long conversed,
romanz to make me entremis,
mult in escris and mult made some.
By Deu have E by the rei
- altre fors Deu to serve dei -
me in fu given, Deus Li returns,
has Baieues a provende.
rei Henri segont your di,
nevo Henri, Henri father.

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