He wrote De 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 a courtier of King Henry II of England, who sent him on missions to Louis VII of France and to Pope Alexander III.

[4][1] Medievalist Joshua Byron Smith suggests that Map may have begun his studies at St Peter's Abbey in Gloucester before continuing at the University of Paris, apparently around 1154, when Gerard la Pucelle was teaching there.

[5] As a courtier of King Henry II of England, he was sent on missions to Louis VII of France and to Pope Alexander III, and attended the Third Lateran Council in 1179, encountering a delegation of Waldensians.

[8] A man of the world, with a large circle of courtly acquaintances, including Gerald 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.