Autorité spirituelle et pouvoir royal chez Wace : pour une relecture du Roman de Rou
In: The Medieval Chronicle 13Search for other papers by Cristian Bratu in
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Résumé
Medievalists have proposed several possible explanations for the abrupt ending of Wace’s Roman de Rou, which I discuss in the first part of this article. I argue that the most relevant among these hypotheses are the ones that consider the political and religious context in which Wace composed the Rou. Although the hypothesis of the Roman de Rou’s pro-ecclesiastical bent is particularly relevant for our discussion, I argue that a reassessment of the textual evidence adduced in support of this theory is imperative. In the second part of the essay, I briefly discuss the political and religious context in which the Rou was written, with particular emphasis on the ‘Becket affair’. In the last section, I analyse Wace’s statements that appear to confirm his pro-ecclesiastical stance.