Walter Map | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | c. 1130[1] Welsh Marches, Wales |
| Died | between 1209 and 1210. |
| Occupation(s) | Clergyman Writer |
Walter Map (Latin:Gualterius Mappus; 1130 –c. 1209/1210) was amedieval writer. He wroteDe nugis curialium, which takes the form of a series of anecdotes of people and places, offering insights into the history of his time.
Map was acourtier of KingHenry II of England, who sent him on missions toLouis VII of France and toPope Alexander III. Map became theArchdeacon of Oxford in 1196.
Map claimedWelsh origins[2] and called himself a man of theWelsh Marches (marchio sum Walensibus);[3] He was probably born in southwesternHerefordshire.[4][1] Medievalist Joshua Byron Smith suggests that Map may have begun his studies atSt Peter's Abbey in Gloucester before continuing at theUniversity of Paris, apparently around 1154, whenGerard la Pucelle was teaching there. After his return from France Map was employed as a clerk byGilbert Foliot, the Bishop of Hereford, who was a former Abbot of St Peter's. When Foliot wastranslated to the Diocese of London in 1163 Map followed him.[1]
Map then became one of the clerks of the royal household and by 1173 he was an itinerant justice.[5] As a courtier of KingHenry II of England, he was sent on missions toLouis VII of France and toPope Alexander III, and attended theThird Lateran Council in 1179, encountering a delegation ofWaldensians.[4] On this journey he stayed withHenry I of Champagne, who was then about to undertake his last journey to the East.
Map held aprebend in theDiocese of Lincoln by 1183 and was Chancellor of the Diocese by 1186.[6] He later becamePrecentor of Lincoln, acanon ofSt Paul's, London, and ofHereford,[7] andArchdeacon of Oxford in 1196.[8]
Map was a candidate to succeedWilliam de Vere asBishop of Hereford in 1199, but was unsuccessful. He was once again a candidate for a bishopric in 1203, this time asBishop of St David's, but was not chosen. He was still alive on 28 May 1208 but died sometime between 1209 and 1210.[9][10][11] His death is commemorated atHereford Cathedral on 1 April.[8]
A man of the world, with a large circle of courtly acquaintances, includingGerald of Wales, "Map had a contemporary reputation as a wit and story teller."[12] His only surviving work,De Nugis Curialium (Trifles of Courtiers) is a collection of anecdotes and trivia, containing court gossip and a little real history, and written in a satirical vein. "In its form hardly more than the undigested reminiscences and notes of a man of the world with a lively sense of humour, ... it is, indeed, in some sense a keen satire on the condition of church and state in the writer's own day ... [and] of considerable interest; especially noticeable are his accounts of the Templars and Hospitallers, and his sketch of the English court and kings from the reign of William II to his own time."[5]
Along withWilliam of Newburgh, Map recorded theearliest stories of Englishvampires. The French-languageProse Lancelot cycle claims "Gautier Map" as an author, though this is contradicted by internal evidence; some scholars have suggested that he wrote aLancelot romance, now lost, that was the source for the later cycle. Others say that, since Map's supposed patron was the King of England, it would have been more likely for him to have written an English tale about King Arthur, Gawain or some other “English” hero, rather than a French one. Map was also said to have written a quantity ofGoliardic poetry, including the satiricalApocalypse of Golias.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.{{cite book}}:|website= ignored (help) This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Walter Map".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: "Map, Walter".Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
