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Wace ( 1110Burgess, ed., at xiii – after 1174Burgess, ed., at xvi), sometimes referred to as Robert Wace, was a Middle Ages Normans poet, who was born in Jersey and brought up in mainland Normandy (he tells us in the Roman de Rou that he was taken as a child to Caen), ending his career as Canon of Bayeux.
The name Wace, used in Jersey until the 16th century, appears to have been his only name; were not universally used at that time. It was quite a common first name in the Duchy of Normandy, derived from the Indo-European personal name Wasso. The spelling and the pronunciation of this name were rendered different ways in the texts, according to the place where the copyists were from. In the various versions of the Roman de Rou, his name appears five times as Wace, then Gace (once), Vace, Vacce, Vaicce (three times all together).René Lepelley, Guillaume le duc, Guillaume le roi : extraits du Roman de Rou de Wace, Centre de publication de l'Université de Caen, Caen, 1987, p. 15. Until the 11th century, the w spelling corresponded to the pronunciation w (like in English) in Northern Normandy (including the Channel Islands), but it shifted to v in the 12th century.Lepelley 15 South to an isogloss corresponding more or less to the Joret line, w had been turned to gw and later g (like in common French). Today the name survives as the patronymic surname Vasse in Normandy and in the North of FranceRepartition of Vasse in France (according to the number of births) In the south of France, it is probably an unrelated name [1] and Gasse further south (including also Normandy).
His name is pronounced (rhyming with 'place') or ('waz').Farina, W. (2010:89). Chretien de Troyes and the Dawn of Arthurian Romance. Ukraine: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers.
It is speculated that he may have been of aristocratic origin, as he was sent to Caen to be educated, which would have been virtually impossible for most. His detailed writing on maritime matters may have stemmed from his island upbringing.
Around 1130 Wace returned to Caen and took ecclesiastical work, possibly as a teacher. Maistre Wace
The date of Wace's death is uncertain. The most recent event described in the Roman de Rou may be dated to 1174. In the Rou, Wace also mentions Henry the Young King as living. The latter lived until 1183, which means that Wace probably did not revise the Rou after that date.
The Roman de Brut became the basis, in turn, for Layamon's Brut, an alliterative Middle English poem, and Peter Langtoft's Chronicle. Historian Matthew Bennett, in an article entitled "Wace and warfare," has pointed out that Wace clearly had a good understanding of contemporary warfare, and that the details of military operations he invents to flesh out his accounts of pseudo-historical conflicts can therefore be of value in understanding the generalities of warfare in Wace's own time.Bennett, "Wace and warfare"
Henry had indeed replaced Wace with another writer, Benoît de Sainte-Maure, already famous from having written the Roman de Troie. Benoît did not use any of Wace's work, but started afresh in composing his own Chronique des ducs de Normandie. Precisely why Henry II fired Wace and replaced him on the project with Benoît is unknown, although a number of theories have been advanced to explain the decision. Among the sensitive issues that were introduced by Wace, and handled differently by Benoît, was the memory of Robert Curthose, duke of Normandy, and the role in the First Crusade In terms of English dynastic history, Curthose could only be a controversial figure, since his son had offered a rival claim to the ducal title. Where Wace offered a fawning description of Robert's heroism, including claims that he had returned with great trophies like the banner of a Muslim emir, Benoît closed his account by emphasizing the shame Robert had brought upon the family by refusing to accept the crown of the kingdom of Jerusalem.
Although the name Robert has been ascribed to Wace, this is a tradition resting on little evidence. It is generally believed nowadays that Wace only had one name. As a clerc lisant, he was proud of his title of Maistre (master) and is consequently sometimes referred to as Maistre Wace.
There is a granite memorial stone to Wace built into the side of the States Building in Jersey's Royal Square. This includes a quote from the Roman de Rou that expresses the poet's pride in his place of birth:
Modern Jèrriais:
Modern French:
English:
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