Normans were those descendants of
Vikings or
Norsemen who settled in
Northern France(Frankish Kingdom), who under their leader
Rollo, agreed to swear fealty to
King Charles III of
West Francia in 911 CE. The
Normans founded the duchy of
Normandy and sent out expeditions of conquest and colonization to southern
Italy and
Sicily and to
England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.
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Rollo's grave at the Cathedral of Rouen |
The
Duchy of Normandy, which began in 911 as a fiefdom, was established by the treaty of
Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between
King Charles III of
West Francia and the famed
Viking ruler Rollo, and was situated in the former
Frankish kingdom of
Neustria. The treaty offered
Rollo and his men the
French lands between the river
Epte and the
Atlantic coast in exchange for their protection against further
Viking incursions.
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A castle in Normandy |
William Longsword(c.893 – 17 December 942) was the son of Rollo and second ruler of Normandy, from 927 until his assassination in 942. Early in his reign, he faced a rebellion from Normans who felt he had become too Gallicised and too soft. In 933 Longsword recognized Raoul as King of Western Francia, who was struggling to assert his authority in Northern France. In turn Raoul gave him lordship over much of the lands of the Bretons including Avranches, the Cotentin Peninsula and the Channel Islands.
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Statue of William Longsword |
Richard I (28 August 933 – 20 November 996) was the son of William Longsword and third ruler of Normandy from 942 to 996. Richard either introduced feudalism into Normandy or he greatly expanded it. In 962, Theobald I, Count of Blois, attempted an invasion of Rouen, Richard's stronghold, but his troops were summarily routed by Normans under Richard's command, and forced to retreat before ever having crossed the Seine river. Richard was succeeded in November 996 by his 33-year-old son, Richard II, Duke of Normandy.
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Statue of Richard I of Normandy |
Richard II succeeded his father as fourth
Duke of Normandy in 996 and reined till 1026. In 1000-1001,
Richard repelled an
English attack on the
Cotentin Peninsula that was led by
Ethelred II of
England. Richard attempted to improve relations with
England through his sister
Emma of Normandy's marriage to
King Ethelred. This marriage was significant in that it later gave his grandson,
William the Conqueror, the basis of his claim to the throne of England.
Richard II died on 28 Aug 1026 and his eldest son,
Richard becoming the new
Duke.
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Statue of Richard II of Normandy |
Richard III's short reign as fifth duke of
Normandy lasted less than a year. It opened with a revolt by his brother and finished in his death by unknown causes. His brother laid siege to the town of
Falaise, but was soon brought to heel by
Richard who captured him, then released him on his oath of fealty. No sooner had
Richard disbanded his army and returned to
Rouen, when he died and the duchy passed to his younger brother
Robert I.
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Statue of Richard III of Normandy |
Robert the Magnificent(1000–1035), was the sixth
Duke of Normandy from 1027 until his death in 1035. Soon after assuming the dukedom,
Robert I assembled an army against his uncle,
Robert, Archbishop of
Rouen and
Count of Évreux. His uncle left
Normandy in exile but this resulted in an edict excommunicating all of
Normandy, which was only lifted when
Archbishop Robert was allowed to return and his countship was restored.
Robert, by way of
Constantinople, reached
Jerusalem, fell seriously ill and died on the return journey at
Nicaea on 2 July 1035. His son
William, aged about eight, succeeded him.
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Robert I of Normandy |
William II also known as
William the Conqueror became seventh duke of
Normandy in 1035. He enjoyed the support of his great-uncle,
Archbishop Robert, as well as the king of
France, Henry I, enabling him to succeed to his father's duchy. But
Archbishop Robert's death in March 1037 removed one of
William's main supporters, and conditions in
Normandy quickly descended into chaos.
King Henry continued to support the young duke, but in late 1046 opponents of
William came together in a rebellion centred in lower
Normandy, led by
Guy of Burgundy.
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Château de Falaise, birthplace of William II |
William built a large fleet and invaded England in September 1066, decisively defeating and killing Harold at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. By 1075, William's hold on England was mostly secure, allowing him to spend the majority of the rest of his reign on the continent.
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