W

This chapter is an encyclopedia of the letter "W" covering the political, intellectual, literary, and musical history of the France from the early fifth to the late fifteenth century. Wace is undoubtedly the most brilliant author of the first period of Norman literature; the modern reader is also struck by his conscientiousness, honesty, and–for the period–highly critical, even scholarly approach to literature. Doctrinally orthodox, Waldo and his followers preached against Cathar heretics, but their ostentatious poverty and public preaching soon roused clerical opposition. Warfare was a dominant feature of medieval French history. Off the battlefield, among the noble class of Europe, the warhorse also played an important role. Medieval France had a multitude of weights and measures typical of premetric Europe. When a medieval woman was widowed, she was able to act independently for one of the few times in her life, rather than being under the tutelage of a father, brother, or husband.