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The Normans as their name suggests were descended from the Norsemen (northern men) or Scandinavian Vikings raiders who terrorized Christian Europe for several centuries. Just as the Danes were grnted land in England, Rollo, a Norwegian Viking, was granted lands in northern France. King Charles the Simple saw this as a way of pacifying the Vikings. The Normans were vassals of the French in Monarchy, but in fact the dukes of Normandy for a time was more powerful than the French monarchy. Rollo converted to Christianity and took the name Robert. The Norman connection with England is complicated. The connection was made by Rollo’s great-granddaughter--Emma of Normandy. Edward the Confessor proved to be a desengaged monarch. Edward before becoming king spent much time in exile in Normandy. His relations there with Duke William is not well understood. Duke William's father was the son of Duke Robert (the Devil), but he was illegitimate. His mothervwas a commoner.
One thing is known with certainty about Edward's time in Normandy, Duke William expected Edward to name him as his heir and he had a distant claim because Queen Emma (now the Queen Mother Emma) was William's great aunt. Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, also spent time in Normandy after being ship wrecked. Again the historical record is unclear, but William claims that Harold pledged his alegisnce. Duke William was thus enraged when after Edward's death that Harold seized the crown. He was the strongest force in the country and his claim was confirmed by the Witan, the Anglo-Saxona council of wise men. William thus ivaded England and defeted Harold's army at Hastings (1066). He was crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day. Willian was suceeded by his son William II, who never married. He was known as Rufus because of his ruddy complexion or red hair. He was an imposing leader, but unpopular. He died in the New Forest as a result of poorly understood circumstances. Many historians believe his brother Henry was responsible.
Henry I also proved to be a strong ruler. He began the process of making the defeated Saxons loyal subjects of the monarchy. His son drowned in the Channel. At the time, the French-speaking Norman kings often took a greater interest in Normandy than England and traveled back and forth. A bloody civil war followed between the cousins Stephen and Matilda with clains to the crown. Matilda was eventually defeated. The death of Stephen’s son ended the Norman dynasty.
The northern Germanic peoples were found in the southern area of modern Scandinavia. They became the modern Swedes, Danes, Norwegians, Icelandians. The North Germanic tribes were unknown to the Romans, but burst out upon Medieval Europeans in the 9th century as the Vikings and played a major role in the history of Western Europe, especially the British and French. A Scandinavia people known as the Rus also moved east at this time and help found modern Russia. The Normans as their name suggests were descended from the Norsemen (northern men) or Scandinavian Vikings raiders who terrorized Christian Europe for several centuries. In the case of the Normans it was the Norwegian Vikings.
Just as the Danes were granted land in England, Rollo, a Norwegian Viking also known as Rolf, was granted lands in northern France. King Charles the Simple saw this as a way of pacifying the Vikings. The Normans were vassals of the French in Monarchy, but in fact the dukes of Normandy for a time was more powerful than the French monarchy. Rollo converted to Christianity and took the name Robert.
Duke William was also known as Longsword.
Duke Richard was also known as th Fearless. His two children were Richard and Emma. Richard fathered Robert (The Devil) who in turn fathef William put of wedlock. Emma who married both English King Aethelred and Canute was Duke William's great aunt. She and ethelred were the parents of Edward the confessor became
The Norman connection with England is complicated. The connection was made by Rollo’s great-granddaughter--Emma of Normandy. She married English King Aethelred the Unready. As the name suggests, Alfred's successors oversaw a gradual weakening of the English Anglo-Saxon kingdom. Aethelred
attacked the Danes in the Danelaw to bring them under his control. Sweyn Forkbeard, King of Denmark, whose sister had been killed in the English attack, brought an army to England and forced Aethelred to flee abroad.
Sweyn’s son Canute (Knut) in the absence of Aethelred declared himself King of England (1016). After Aethelred died, his widow Emma sent her children to Norman relations and married none other than the young Canute. Canute's death resulted in a power struggle for the crown. His two sons had short reigns.
It was Emma and her son by Aethelred, Edward, who managed to regain the crown. Edward was primarily concerned with religion. He is known to history as Edward the Confessor (1042-66) and proved to be a desengaged monarch. Edward before becoming king spent much time in exile in Normandy. His relations there with Duke William is not well understood.
Duke Robert fathered William. He was ilegitimate. His mother was Arlette (Herleva) the daughter of Fulbert the Tanner. She later married one of the Duke Robert’s followers, the Vicomte de Conteville. Their son Odo became Bishop of Bayeux. It was Odo who commissioned the Bayeux Tapestry.
William was born in Falaise, Normandy in France (1028). His father was Robert II the Devil, Duke of Normandy (1008- ). His mother was Herleva (Arlette), Officer of the Household (about 1012- ). William became Duke of Normandy (1035). Normandy at the time was a French state established by the Norse (Vikings) and had a powerful army. One thing is known with certainty about Edward's time in Normandy, Duke William expected Edward to name him as his heir and he had a distant claim because Queen Emma (now the Queen Mother Emma) was William's great aunt. Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, also spent time in Normandy after being ship wrecked. Again the historical record is unclear, but William claims that Harold pledged his alegiance. Duke William was thus enraged when after Edward's death that Harold seized the crown. He was the stringest force in the country and his claim was confirmed by the Witan, the Anglo-Saxona council of wise men. William thus ivaded England and defeted Harold's army at Hastings (1066). He was crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day. William completely subdued Saxon England in the following years (1072). He imposed continental Norman military Fedualism on Saxon England. William granted land to his followers in return for Feudal pledges of service and loyalty. He began the Domesday Book (1085) to understand just waht the resources of England were. He married Matilda of Flanders (1053). They had 10 children: Robert II Curthose, Duke of Normandy (1054- ), Richard, Duke of Bernay (about 1055- ), Cecilia of Holy Trinity, Abbess of Caen (1056- ), Adeliza, Nun, (1055- ), William II Rufus, King of England (1056/60- ), Constance (1066- ), Adela, Countess of Blois (about 1067- ), Agatha (about 1064- ), Matilda, and Henry I Beauclerc, King of England (about 1068- ). William died at Hermentrube, Near Rouen, France (1087).
Willian was suceeded by his son William II, who never married. He was known as Rufus because of his ruddy complexion or red hair. He was an imposing leader, but unpopular. He died in the New Forest as a result of poorly understood circumstances. Many historians believe his brother Henry was responsible.
Henry I also proved to be a strong ruler. He began the process of making the defeated Saxons loyal subjects of the monarchy. He married Edith (Matilda) of Scotland. His son William drowned in the Channel. At the time, the French-speaking Norman kings often took a greater interest in Normandy than England and traveled back and forth.
With the death of HenrybI, a bloody civil war followed between the cousins Stephen and Matilda with competing clains to the crown. Matilda had the better claim, but she was a woman. Stephen was a granson of William I. His mother was Adela, one of William's daughters. Matilda was a daughter, the direct descendent of Henry I. Her brither William had drowned. Matilda was eventually defeated, but the death of Stephen’s only son ended the Norman dynasty. The cown passed to Henry II (1133- ), the son of Matilda and Geoffrey of Anjou. Dynastic rules provide that when a dynasty is passed through a female relative than a new royal house is created. In this case the Plantagenants.
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