author
Wace
A 12th-century Norman poet, priest, and historian, he helped shape how medieval readers imagined both Britain and Normandy. His lively verse retellings of legend and history kept old stories in motion for centuries.
2 Audiobooks
About the author
Born in Jersey around 1100 and educated in Caen and Paris, Wace became a cleric and later a canon of Bayeux. He wrote in Anglo-Norman French, turning learned Latin histories into vivid verse for a wider courtly audience.
He is best known for two major works: the Roman de Brut, completed around 1155, and the Roman de Rou, begun around 1160. The first reworked Geoffrey of Monmouth's history of Britain and helped spread stories of King Arthur, while the second traced the history of the Norman dukes.
Wace's writing stands out for its storytelling energy and for the way it bridges legend, politics, and memory. Even when modern historians read him cautiously, his poems remain a key window into how the 12th century understood the past.