157-581: The Normans ( Norman : Normaunds ; French : Normands ; Latin : Nortmanni/Normanni ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia . The Norse settlements in West Francia followed a series of raids on the French northern coast mainly from what is now Denmark, although some also sailed from Norway and Sweden. These settlements were finally legitimized when Rollo ,
314-575: A regional language . It is taught in a few colleges near Cherbourg-Octeville . In the Channel Islands , the Norman language has developed separately, but not in isolation, to form: The British and Irish governments recognize Jèrriais and Guernésiais as regional languages within the framework of the British–Irish Council . Sercquiais is in fact a descendant of the 16th-century Jèrriais used by
471-513: A synod at Melfi confirming Richard as Count of Aversa and Prince of Capua, and Richard swore allegiance to the papacy for his holdings. The Drengots then made Capua their headquarters for ruling Aversa and Gaeta. Richard and Jordan expanded their new Gaetan and Capuan territories northwards toward Latium , into the Papal States . In 1066 Richard marched on Rome, but was easily repelled. Jordan's tenure as Richard's successor marked an alliance with
628-634: A Christian stronghold until the fall of Famagusta in 1571. Between 1402 and 1405, the expedition led by the Norman noble Jean de Bethencourt and the Poitevine Gadifer de la Salle conquered the Canarian islands of Lanzarote , Fuerteventura and El Hierro off the Atlantic coast of Africa. Their troops were gathered in Normandy, Gascony and were later reinforced by Castilian colonists. Bethencourt took
785-660: A German prison; this ended the Lombard revolt. In 1024, Norman mercenaries under Ranulf Drengot were in the service of Guaimar III when he and Pandulf IV besieged Pandulf V in Capua. In 1026, after an 18-month siege, Capua surrendered and Pandulf IV was reinstated as prince. During the next few years Ranulf would attach himself to Pandulf, but in 1029 he joined Sergius IV of Naples (whom Pandulf expelled from Naples in 1027, probably with Ranulf's assistance). In 1029, Ranulf and Sergius recaptured Naples. In early 1030 Sergius gave Ranulf
942-475: A Scandinavian Viking leader, agreed to swear fealty to King Charles III of West Francia following the siege of Chartres in 911. The intermixing in Normandy produced an ethnic and cultural "Norman" identity in the first half of the 10th century, an identity which continued to evolve over the centuries. The Normans adopted the culture and language of the French, while they continued the martial tradition of their Viking ancestors as mercenaries and adventurers. In
1099-625: A century later and based on William's work. Some scholars have combined the Salerno and Gargano tales, and John Julius Norwich suggested that the meeting between Melus and the Normans had been arranged by Guaimar. Melus had been in Salerno just before his visit to Monte Gargano. Another story involves the exile of a group of brothers from the Drengot family . One of the brothers, Osmund (according to Orderic Vitalis ) or Gilbert (according to Amatus and Peter
1256-682: A county, Loritello , in 1061 and continued his expansion into Lombard Abruzzo. He conquered the Lombard county of Teate (modern Chieti ) and besieged Ortona , which became the goal of Norman efforts in that region. Loritello soon reached as far north as the Pescara and the Papal States. In 1078 Robert allied with Jordan of Capua to ravage the Papal Abruzzo, but after a 1080 treaty with Pope Gregory VII they were obligated to respect papal territory. In 1100 Robert of Loritello extended his principality across
1413-610: A detachment of the elite Varangian Guard was sent to Italy to fight the Normans. The armies met at the Ofanto near Cannae , the site of Hannibal 's victory over the Romans in 216 BC, and the Battle of Cannae was a decisive Byzantine victory; Amatus wrote that only ten Normans survived from a contingent of 250. After the battle, Ranulf Drengot (one of the Norman survivors) was elected leader of their company. Boioannes protected his gains by building
1570-593: A disparate group into the semblance of a nation. In 1035, the same year William the Conqueror would become Duke of Normandy , Tancred of Hauteville 's three eldest sons ( William "Iron Arm" , Drogo and Humphrey ) arrived in Aversa from Normandy . In 1037, or the summer of 1038 (sources differ), Norman influence was further solidified when Emperor Conrad II deposed Pandulf and invested Ranulf as Count of Aversa. In 1038 Ranulf invaded Capua, expanding his polity into one of
1727-468: A fortress at San Marco d'Alunzio . Roger returned in late 1061 and captured Troina . In June 1063 he defeated a Muslim army at the Battle of Cerami , securing the Norman foothold on the island. Robert returned in 1064, bypassing Castrogiovanni on his way to Palermo ; this campaign was eventually called off. In 1068 Roger struck another defeat against the Muslims at the Battle of Misilmeri . In August 1071,
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#17330852506311884-511: A fortress at the Apennine pass, guarding the entrance to the Apulian plain . In 1019 Troia (as the fortress was known) was garrisoned by Boioannes' Norman troops, an indication of Norman willingness to fight on either side. With Norman mercenaries on both sides, they would obtain good terms for the release of their brethren from their captors regardless of outcome. Alarmed by the shift in momentum in
2041-602: A group of 40 or a much-larger force of around 250) under "Rodulfus" (Rudolf), fleeing Richard II, came to Pope Benedict VIII of Rome. The pope sent them to Salerno (or Capua ) to seek mercenary employment against the Byzantines because of the latter's invasion of papal Beneventan territory. There, they met the Beneventan primates (leading men): Landulf V of Benevento , Pandulf IV of Capua , (possibly) Guaimar III of Salerno and Melus of Bari. According to Leo's chronicle, "Rudolf"
2198-622: A hostage, beginning a series of arguments as to whether the Scottish Crown owed allegiance to the King of England. Normans went into Scotland, building castles and founding noble families that would provide some future kings, such as Robert the Bruce , as well as founding a considerable number of the Scottish clans . King David I of Scotland , whose elder brother Alexander I had married Sybilla of Normandy ,
2355-623: A key strategic position on the maritime lanes to the Holy Land, whose occupation by the Christians could not continue without support from the sea. Shortly after the conquest, Cyprus was sold to the Knights Templar and it was subsequently acquired, in 1192, by Guy de Lusignan and became a stable feudal kingdom . It was only in 1489 that the Venetians acquired full control of the island, which remained
2512-665: A long period of slow conquest during which almost all of Wales was at some point subject to Norman interference. Norman words, such as baron ( barwn ), first entered Welsh at that time. The legendary religious zeal of the Normans was exercised in religious wars long before the First Crusade carved out a Norman principality in Antioch . They were major foreign combatants in the Reconquista in Iberia . In 1018, Roger de Tosny travelled to
2669-524: A newly arrived band of Normans, sent by Pope Benedict, who met him (with or without Guaimar's aid) at Monte Gargano. Tornikios sent an army, led by Leo Passianos , against the Lombard-Norman coalition. Passianos and Melus met on the Fortore at Arenula ; the battle was either indecisive ( William of Apulia ) or a victory for Melus ( Leo of Ostia and Amatus). Tornikios then took command, leading his forces into
2826-670: A number of Old French words which have been lost in Modern French. Examples of Norman French words of Old French origin: en anc. fr. : pétale Examples of Norman French words with -ei instead of -oi in Standard French words Examples of Norman French words with c- / qu- and g- instead of ch- and j in Standard French Examples of Norman words of Norse origin: In some cases, Norse words adopted in Norman have been borrowed into French – and more recently some of
2983-485: A planned operation, the conquest had much more permanent results than initially expected. In April 1191, Richard the Lion-hearted left Messina with a large fleet in order to reach Acre . But a storm dispersed the fleet. After some searching, it was discovered that the boat carrying his sister and his fiancée Berengaria was anchored on the south coast of Cyprus, together with the wrecks of several other ships, including
3140-476: A race skillful in flattery, given to the study of eloquence, so that the very boys were orators, a race altogether unbridled unless held firmly down by the yoke of justice. They were enduring of toil, hunger, and cold whenever fortune laid it on them, given to hunting and hawking, delighting in the pleasure of horses, and of all the weapons and garb of war. In the course of the 10th century, the initially destructive incursions of Norse war bands going upstream into
3297-774: A second encounter near Civita . This second battle was a victory for Melus, although Lupus Protospatharius and the anonymous chronicler of Bari recorded a defeat. A third battle (a decisive victory for Melus) took place at Vaccaricia, modern Vaccareccia [ it ] in Rieti ; the region from the Fortore to Trani was in his hands, and in September Tornikios was replaced by Basil Boioannes (who arrived in December). According to Amatus, there were five consecutive Lombard and Norman victories by October 1018. At Boioannes ' request,
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#17330852506313454-620: A single state. Compared to the conquest of England, it was unplanned and disorganised, but equally complete. There is little evidence for Viking activity in Italy as a precursor to the arrival of the Normans in 999, but some raiding is recorded. Ermentarius of Noirmoutier and the Annales Bertiniani provide contemporary evidence for Vikings based in Frankia (France) proceeding to Iberia and then to Sicily around 860. In 860, according to an account by
3611-544: A substantial number of Anglo-Normans, was invited by the count of Barcelona, Ramon Berenguer IV , to participate in the siege of Tortosa (1148) . Again the Normans were rewarded with lands in the newly conquered frontier city. Between 1135 and 1160, the Norman Kingdom of Sicily conquered and kept as vassals several cities on the Ifriqiya coast, corresponding to Tunisia and parts of Algeria and Libya today. They were lost to
3768-502: A third attack in 1185, when a large Norman army invaded Dyrrachium , owing to the betrayal of high Byzantine officials. Some time later, Dyrrachium—one of the most important naval bases of the Adriatic —fell again to Byzantine hands. The Normans were in contact with England from an early date. Not only were their original Viking brethren still ravaging the English coasts, they occupied most of
3925-568: Is 999, although it may be assumed that they had visited before then. In that year, according to some traditional sources of uncertain origin, Norman pilgrims returning from the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem via Apulia stayed with Prince Guaimar III in Salerno . The city and its environs were attacked by Saracens from Africa demanding payment of an overdue annual tribute. While Guaimar began to collect
4082-529: Is a langue d'oïl . The name "Norman French" is sometimes also used to describe the administrative languages of Anglo-Norman and Law French used in England . For the most part, the written forms of Norman and modern French are mutually intelligible . The thirteenth-century philosopher Roger Bacon was the first to distinguish it along with other dialects such as Picard and Bourguignon . Today, although it does not enjoy any official status, some reports of
4239-619: The Annales Ecclesiastici of Baronius in the 17th century, the Salernitan story became the accepted history. Although its factual accuracy was questioned periodically during the following centuries, it has been accepted (with some modifications) by most scholars since. Another historical account of the arrival of the first Normans in Italy, the "Gargano tradition", appears in primary chronicles without reference to any previous Norman presence. According to this account Norman pilgrims at
4396-754: The katepano , John Curcuas , was killed in battle. In March 1010 his successor, Basil Mesardonites , disembarked with reinforcements and besieged the rebels in the city. The Byzantine citizens negotiated with Basil and forced the Lombard leaders, Melus and his brother-in-law Dattus , to flee. Basil entered the city on 11 June 1011, reestablishing Byzantine authority. He did not follow his victory with severe sanctions, only sending Melus' family (including his son, Argyrus ) to Constantinople . Basil died in 1016, after years of peace in southern Italy. Leo Tornikios Kontoleon arrived as Basil's successor in May of that year. After Basil's death, Melus revolted again; this time, he used
4553-464: The Carolingian dynasty from the days of Charlemagne in the 9th century. By intermarrying with the local aristocracy and adopting the growing feudal doctrines of the rest of France, the Normans would progressively work these principles into a functional hierarchical system in their own duchy , and later export it to Norman dominated England . As the proliferation of aristocratic families throughout
4710-692: The Channel Islands and parts of mainland Normandy, as well as the historical Anglo-Norman language in England. Old Norman was also an important language of the Principality of Antioch during Crusader rule in the Levant . Old Norman and Anglo-Norman literature was quite extensive during the Middle Ages, with records existing from notable Norman poets such as Wace , who was born on the island of Jersey and raised in mainland Normandy. The customary law of Normandy
4867-576: The County of Aversa as a fief; that seigniory was long considered to be the first Norman lordship in southern Italy, although this primacy is currently attributed to the county of Ariano [ it ] which was officially recognized by the Emperor Henry II since 1022. Sergius also gave his sister, the widow of the duke of Gaeta, in marriage to Ranulf. In 1034, however, Sergius' sister died and Ranulf returned to Pandulf. According to Amatus: For
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5024-641: The Drengot family . A group of Normans with at least five brothers from the Drengot family fought the Byzantines in Apulia under the command of Melus of Bari . Between 1016 and 1024, in a fragmented political context, the County of Ariano [ it ] was founded by another group of Norman knights headed by Gilbert Buatère and hired by Melus of Bari. Defeated at Cannae , Melus of Bari escaped to Bamberg , Germany , where he died in 1022. The county, which replaced
5181-617: The Fortore , taking Bovino and Dragonara . The conquest of the Molise is poorly documented. Boiano (the principal town) may have been conquered the year before the Battle of Civitate by Robert Guiscard, who had encircled the Matese massif. The county of Boiano was bestowed on Rudolf of Moulins . His grandson, Hugh , expanded it eastward (occupying Toro and San Giovanni in Galdo ) and westward (annexing
5338-536: The French words Normans / Normanz , plural of Normant , modern French normand , which is itself borrowed from Old Low Franconian Nortmann "Northman" or directly from Old Norse Norðmaðr , Latinized variously as Nortmannus , Normannus , or Nordmannus (recorded in Medieval Latin , 9th century) to mean "Norseman, Viking ". The 11th century Benedictine monk and historian , Goffredo Malaterra , characterised
5495-587: The French language in Canada generally. Joual , a working class sociolect of Quebec , in particular exhibits a Norman influence. For example the word "placoter" can mean both to splash around or to chatter comes from the Normand French word "clapoter" which means the same thing. Norman conquest of southern Italy Timeline The Norman conquest of southern Italy lasted from 999 to 1194, involving many battles and independent conquerors. In 1130,
5652-578: The Gallo-Romance language of the Frankish land they settled, with their Old Norman dialect becoming known as Norman, Normaund or Norman French , an important literary language which is still spoken today in parts of mainland Normandy ( Cotentinais and Cauchois dialects) and the nearby Channel Islands ( Jèrriais and Guernésiais ). The Duchy of Normandy , which arose from the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte ,
5809-453: The Histories of Ralph Glaber , "Rodulfus" leaves Normandy after displeasing Count Richard (Richard II). The sources disagree about which brother was the leader on the southern trip. Orderic and William of Jumièges , in the latter's Gesta Normannorum Ducum , name Osmund; Glaber names Rudolph, and Leo, Amatus and Adhemar of Chabannes name Gilbert. According to most southern-Italian sources,
5966-551: The Latin of the Romans . The Norman language (Norman French) was forged by the adoption of the indigenous langue d'oïl branch of Romance by a Norse-speaking ruling class, and it developed into the French regional languages that survive today. The new Norman rulers were culturally and ethnically distinct from the old French aristocracy , most of whom traced their lineage to the Franks of
6123-600: The Mediterranean . These groups gathered in several places, establishing fiefdoms and states of their own, uniting and elevating their status to de facto independence within 50 years of their arrival. Unlike the Norman Conquest of England (1066), which took a few years after one decisive battle , the conquest of southern Italy was the product of decades and a number of battles, few decisive. Many territories were conquered independently, and only later were unified into
6280-470: The Norse language of the earlier Anglo-Norse settlers and the Latin used by the church) in the development of Middle English , which, in turn, evolved into Modern English . The Normans had a profound effect on Irish culture and history after their invasion at Bannow Bay in 1169. Initially, the Normans maintained a distinct culture and ethnicity. Yet, with time, they came to be subsumed into Irish culture to
6437-624: The Saracens and Byzantines , and an expedition on behalf of their duke, William the Conqueror , led to the Norman conquest of England at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Norman and Anglo-Norman forces contributed to the Iberian Reconquista from the early eleventh to the mid-thirteenth centuries. Norman cultural and military influence spread from these new European centres to the Crusader states of
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6594-410: The crusade , and offering his daughter in marriage to the person named by Richard. But Isaac changed his mind and tried to escape. Richard then proceeded to conquer the whole island, his troops being led by Guy de Lusignan. Isaac surrendered and was confined with silver chains, because Richard had promised that he would not place him in irons. By 1 June, Richard had conquered the whole island. His exploit
6751-537: The crusader states in the Levant . One of the great geographical treatises of the Middle Ages , the " Tabula Rogeriana ", was written by al-Idrisi for King Roger II of Sicily, and entitled " Kitab Rudjdjar " (" The Book of Roger "). The Normans began appearing in the military confrontations between Christians and Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula since the early eleventh century. The first Norman who appears in
6908-694: The emir of Syracuse in single combat, and a Lombard contingent, led by Arduin . The Varangians were first used as mercenaries in Italy against the Arabs in 936. Runestones were raised in Sweden in memory of warriors who died in Langbarðaland ( Land of the Lombards ), the Old Norse name for southern Italy. Later, several Anglo-Danish and Norwegian nobles participated in the Norman conquest of southern Italy, like Edgar
7065-675: The prefix Fitz- include Fitzgerald , FitzGibbons (Gibbons) as well as Fitzmaurice . Families bearing such surnames as Barry ( de Barra ) and De Búrca ( Burke ) are also of Norman extraction. One of the claimants of the English throne opposing William the Conqueror , Edgar Atheling , eventually fled to Scotland. King Malcolm III of Scotland married Edgar's sister Margaret , and came into opposition to William who had already disputed Scotland's southern borders. William invaded Scotland in 1072, riding as far as Abernethy where he met up with his fleet of ships. Malcolm submitted, paid homage to William and surrendered his son Duncan as
7222-476: The Île-de-France , which were considered "Frankish". Earlier Viking settlers had begun arriving in the 880s, but were divided between colonies in the east ( Roumois and Pays de Caux ) around the low Seine valley and in the west in the Cotentin Peninsula , and were separated by traditional pagii , where the population remained about the same with almost no foreign settlers. Rollo's contingents from Scandinavia who raided and ultimately settled Normandy and parts of
7379-415: The " Joret line " ( ligne Joret ) separates the northern and southern dialects of the Norman language (the line runs from Granville, Manche to the French-speaking Belgian border in the province of Hainaut and Thiérache ). Dialectal differences also distinguish western and eastern dialects. Three different standardized spellings are used: continental Norman, Jèrriais, and Dgèrnésiais. These represent
7536-406: The 11th century, Normans from the duchy conquered England and southern Italy . The Norman dynasty had a major political, cultural and military impact on medieval Europe and the Near East . The Normans were historically famed for their martial spirit, and eventually for their Catholic piety as adherents of the Catholic orthodoxy of the Romance community. The original Norse settlers adopted
7693-402: The Abruzzi (which Guiscard's relatives had been appropriating). After the Battle of Civitate, the Normans began the conquest of the Adriatic coast of Benevento. Geoffrey of Hauteville , a brother of the Hauteville counts of Melfi, conquered the Lombard county of Larino and stormed the castle Morrone in the region of Samnium-Guillamatum . Geoffrey's son, Robert , united these conquests into
7850-434: The Almohads. Soon after the Normans began to enter Italy, they entered the Byzantine Empire and then Armenia , fighting against the Pechenegs , the Bulgarians , and especially the Seljuk Turks . Norman mercenaries were first encouraged to come to the south by the Lombards to act against the Byzantines, but they soon fought in Byzantine service in Sicily. They were prominent alongside Varangian and Lombard contingents in
8007-467: The Armenian vassal-states of Sassoun and Taron in far eastern Anatolia . Later, many took up service with the Armenian state further south in Cilicia and the Taurus Mountains . A Norman named Oursel led a force of "Franks" into the upper Euphrates valley in northern Syria . From 1073 to 1074, 8,000 of the 20,000 troops of the Armenian general Philaretus Brachamius were Normans—formerly of Oursel—led by Raimbaud . They even lent their ethnicity to
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#17330852506318164-414: The Byzantine duke of Antioch , Isaac Komnenos . In the 1060s, Robert Crispin led the Normans of Edessa against the Turks. Roussel de Bailleul even tried to carve out an independent state in Asia Minor with support from the local population in 1073, but he was stopped in 1075 by the Byzantine general and future emperor Alexius Komnenos . Some Normans joined Turkish forces to aid in the destruction of
8321-525: The Byzantines again in the Battle of Montemaggiore near Cannae (avenging the Norman defeat in the 1018 Battle of Cannae ). Although the catapan summoned a large Varangian force from Bari, the battle was a rout; many of Michael's soldiers drowned in the Ofanto while retreating. On 3 September 1041 at the Battle of Montepeloso , the Normans (nominally under Arduin and Atenulf) defeated Byzantine catepan Exaugustus Boioannes and brought him to Benevento . Around that time, Guaimar IV of Salerno began to attract
8478-426: The Capuan counties of Venafro , Pietrabbondante and Trivento in 1105). After roughly a century of Arab control (following the Saracen defeat of Byzantine forces in 965), Sicily was inhabited by a mix of Christians, Arab Muslims, and Muslim converts at the time of its conquest by the Normans. It had originally been under the rule of the Aghlabids and then the Fatimids , but in 948 the Kalbids wrested control of
8635-468: The Confessor had set up the aforementioned Ralph as Earl of Hereford and charged him with defending the Marches and warring with the Welsh. In these original ventures, the Normans failed to make any headway into Wales. After the Conquest, however, the Marches came completely under the dominance of William's most trusted Norman barons, including Bernard de Neufmarché , Roger of Montgomery in Shropshire and Hugh Lupus in Cheshire . These Normans began
8792-405: The Deacon), murdered William Repostel (Repostellus) in the presence of Robert I, Duke of Normandy after Repostel allegedly boasted about dishonouring his murderer's daughter. Threatened with death, the Drengot brother fled with his siblings to Rome and one of the brothers had an audience with the pope before joining Melus (Melo) of Bari. Amatus dates the story to after 1027, and does not mention
8949-400: The Duchy of Normandy to be forfeit to him. It remained a disputed territory until the Treaty of Paris of 1259 , when the English sovereign ceded his claim to the Duchy, except for the Channel Islands . In the present day, the Channel Islands (the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey ) are considered to be officially the last remnants of the Duchy of Normandy, and are not part of
9106-433: The Ebro Valley to aid Alfonso I of Aragon in his campaigns of conquest. Robert Burdet managed to acquire the position of Alcide of Tudela by 1123 and later that of Prince of the city Tarragona in 1129. The conquest of Cyprus by the Anglo-Norman forces of the Third Crusade opened a new chapter in the history of the island, which would be under Western European domination for the following 380 years. Although not part of
9263-482: The Ebro frontier. By 1129 Robert Burdet had been granted a semi-independent principality in the city of Tarragona by the then Archbishop of this see, Oleguer Bonestruga. Several others of Rotrou's Norman followers were rewarded with lands in the Ebro valley by King Alfonso I of Aragon for their services. With the rising popularity of the sea route to the Holy Land, Norman and Anglo-Norman crusaders also started to be encouraged locally by Iberian prelates to participate in
9420-550: The Empire and made himself a papal vassal in return for the title of duke. During the 1050s and 1060s, there were two centres of Norman power in southern Italy: one at Melfi (under the Hautevilles) and another at Aversa (under the Drengots). Richard Drengot became ruler of the County of Aversa in 1049, beginning a policy of territorial aggrandisement to compete with his Hauteville rivals. At first he warred with his Lombard neighbours, who included Pandulf VI of Capua , Atenulf I of Gaeta and Gisulf II of Salerno . Richard pushed back
9577-402: The English words used in French can be traced back to Norman origins. Following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the Norman and other languages and dialects spoken by the new rulers of England were used during several hundred years, developing into the unique insular dialect now known as Anglo-Norman French , and leaving traces of specifically Norman words that can be distinguished from
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#17330852506319734-408: The European Atlantic coast included Danes , Norwegians , Norse–Gaels , Orkney Vikings , possibly Swedes , and Anglo-Danes from the English Danelaw territory which earlier came under Norse control in the late 9th century. The descendants of Vikings replaced the Norse religion and Old Norse language with Catholicism ( Christianity ) and the Langue d'oil of the local people, descending from
9891-462: The French Ministry of Culture have recognized it as one of the regional languages of France . When Norse Vikings from modern day Scandinavia arrived in Neustria , in the western part of the then Kingdom of the Franks , and settled the land that became known as Normandy, these North-Germanic –speaking people came to live among a local Gallo-Romance –speaking population. In time, the communities converged, so that Normandy continued to form
10048-399: The French kingdom limited the prospects of most heirs, young knights were encouraged to seek land and riches beyond their homeland, with Normandy becoming a major source of such adventurers. Many Normans of Italy, France and England eventually served as avid Crusaders soldiers under the Italo-Norman prince Bohemund I of Antioch and the Angevin-Norman king Richard the Lion-Heart , one of
10205-482: The Great 's conquest of the isle. When Edward the Confessor finally returned from his father's refuge in 1041, at the invitation of his half-brother Harthacnut , he brought with him a Norman-educated mind. He also brought many Norman counsellors and fighters, some of whom established an English cavalry force. This concept never really took root, but it is a typical example of Edward's attitude. He appointed Robert of Jumièges Archbishop of Canterbury and made Ralph
10362-429: The Iberian Peninsula to carve out a state for himself from Moorish lands, but failed. In 1064, during the War of Barbastro , William of Montreuil , Roger Crispin and probably Walter Guiffard led an army under the papal hanner which took a huge booty as they captured the city from its Andelusi rulers. Later a group of Normans led by certain William (some have suggested this was William the Carpenter ) participated in
10519-421: The Italians for the Normans has now reached such a pitch that it is almost impossible for any Norman, albeit a pilgrim, to journey in the towns of Italy, without being assailed, abducted, robbed, beaten, thrown in irons, even if fortunate enough not to die in a prison. The pope and his supporters, including the future Gregory VII , called for an army to oust the Normans from Italy. On 18 June 1053, Humphrey led
10676-451: The Lion . The Norman-derived feudal system was applied in varying degrees to most of Scotland. Scottish families of the names Bruce , Gray , Ramsay, Fraser, Rose, Ogilvie, Montgomery, Sinclair, Pollock, Burnard, Douglas and Gordon to name but a few, and including the later royal House of Stewart , can all be traced back to Norman ancestry. Even before the Norman Conquest of England, the Normans had come into contact with Wales . Edward
10833-568: The Muslims, under the leadership of the famous Robert Guiscard , a Hauteville, and his younger brother Roger the Great Count . Roger's son, Roger II of Sicily , was crowned king in 1130 (exactly one century after Rainulf was "crowned" count) by Antipope Anacletus II . The Kingdom of Sicily lasted until 1194, when it was transferred to the House of Hohenstaufen through marriage. The Normans left their legacy in many castles, such as William Iron Arm 's citadel at Squillace , and cathedrals, such as Roger II's Cappella Palatina at Palermo , which dot
10990-512: The Near East, where their prince Bohemond I founded the Principality of Antioch in the Levant , to Scotland and Wales in Great Britain, to Ireland, and to the coasts of north Africa and the Canary Islands . The legacy of the Normans persists today through the regional languages and dialects of France, England, Spain, Quebec and Sicily, and also through the various cultural, judicial, and political arrangements they introduced in their conquered territories. The English name "Normans" comes from
11147-411: The Norman armies against the combined forces of the pope and the Holy Roman Empire . At the Battle of Civitate the Normans destroyed the papal army and captured Leo IX, imprisoning him in Benevento (which had surrendered). In 1054 Peter II , who succeeded Peter I in the region of Trani , captured the city from the Byzantines. Humphrey died in 1057; he was succeeded by Guiscard, who ended his loyalty to
11304-458: The Norman conquest of England in 1066, the Normans continued to participate in ventures in the peninsula. After the Frankish conquest of the Holy Land during the First Crusade, the Normans began to be encouraged to participate in ventures of conquest in the northeast of the peninsula. The most significant example of this was the incursion of Rotrou II of Perche and Robert Burdet in the 1120s in
11461-609: The Norman monk Dudo of Saint-Quentin , a Viking fleet, probably under Björn Ironside and Hastein , landed in Sicily, conquering it. Many Norsemen fought as mercenaries in Southern Italy, including the Varangian Guard led by Harald Hardrada , who later became king of Norway , who conquered Sicily between 1038 and 1040, with the help of Norman mercenaries, under William de Hauteville , who won his nickname Iron Arm by defeating
11618-461: The Normans began a second and successful siege of Palermo. The city of Palermo was entered by the Normans on 7 January 1072 and three days later the defenders of the inner-city surrendered. Robert invested Roger as Count of Sicily under the suzerainty of the Duke of Apulia. In a partition of the island with his brother Robert retained Palermo, half of Messina, and the largely Christian Val Demone (leaving
11775-558: The Normans in the South of Italy. Repostel's murder is dated by all the chronicles to the reign of Robert the Magnificent and after 1027, although some scholars believe "Robert" was a scribal error for "Richard" ( Richard II of Normandy , who was duke in 1017). The earlier date is necessary if the emigration of the first Normans was connected to the Drengots and the murder of William Repostel. In
11932-472: The Normans never desired any of the Lombards to win a decisive victory, in case this should be to their disadvantage. But now supporting the one and then aiding the other, they prevented anyone being completely ruined. Norman reinforcements and local miscreants, who found a welcome in Ranulf's camp with no questions asked, swelled Ranulf's numbers. There, Amatus observed that the Norman language and customs welded
12089-471: The Normans of Melfi). Henry did not confirm the other titles given during the 1042 council; he demoted Guiamar to "prince of Salerno", and Capua was bestowed upon Pandulf IV for the third (and final) time. Henry, whose wife Agnes had been mistreated by the Beneventans, authorised Drogo to conquer Benevento for the imperial crown; he did so in 1053. In 1048 Drogo commanded an expedition into Calabria via
12246-426: The Normans thus: Specially marked by cunning, despising their own inheritance in the hope of winning a greater, eager after both gain and dominion, given to imitation of all kinds, holding a certain mean between lavishness and greediness, that is, perhaps uniting, as they certainly did, these two seemingly opposite qualities. Their chief men were specially lavish through their desire of good report. They were, moreover,
12403-459: The Normans, dissatisfied by the heavy taxes the Byzantines had imposed upon them. With their help, the Normans secured the Arbanon passes and opened their way to Dibra. The lack of supplies, disease and Byzantine resistance forced Bohemond to retreat from his campaign and sign a peace treaty with the Byzantines in the city of Deabolis. The further decline of Byzantine state-of-affairs paved the road to
12560-523: The Normans. In February 1042, Atenulf negotiated the ransom of Exaugustus and then fled with the ransom money to Byzantine territory. He was replaced by Argyrus , who was bribed to defect to the Byzantines after a few early victories. The revolt, originally Lombard, had become Norman in character and leadership. In September 1042, the three principal Norman groups held a council in Melfi which included Ranulf Drengot , Guaimar IV and William Iron Arm. William and
12717-584: The Petraliphae were descended from a Pierre d'Aulps, and that group of Albanian clans known as the Maniakates were descended from Normans who served under George Maniaces in the Sicilian expedition of 1038. Robert Guiscard , another Norman adventurer previously elevated to the dignity of count of Apulia as the result of his military successes, ultimately drove the Byzantines out of southern Italy. Having obtained
12874-676: The Portuguese incursions into the western areas of the Peninsula. The first of these incursions occurred when a fleet of these Crusaders was invited by the Portuguese king Afonso I Henriques to conquer the city of Lisbon in 1142. Although this Siege of Lisbon (1142) was a failure it created a precedent for their involvement in Portugal. So in 1147 when another group of Norman and other groups of crusaders from Northern Europe arrived in Porto on their way to join
13031-584: The Prince's request. William of Apulia tells that, in 1016, Norman pilgrims to the shrine of the Archangel Michael at Monte Gargano were met by Melus of Bari , a Lombard nobleman and rebel, who persuaded them to return with more warriors to help throw off the Byzantine rule, which they did. The two most prominent Norman families to arrive in the Mediterranean were descendants of Tancred of Hauteville and
13188-605: The Sicilian campaign of George Maniaces in 1038–40. There is debate whether the Normans in Greek service actually were from Norman Italy, and it now seems likely only a few came from there. It is also unknown how many of the "Franks", as the Byzantines called them, were Normans and not other Frenchmen. One of the first Norman mercenaries to serve as a Byzantine general was Hervé in the 1050s. By then, however, there were already Norman mercenaries serving as far away as Trebizond and Georgia . They were based at Malatya and Edessa , under
13345-595: The Timid Earl of Hereford . On 14 October 1066, William the Conqueror gained a decisive victory at the Battle of Hastings , which led to the conquest of England three years later; this can be seen on the Bayeux tapestry . The invading Normans and their descendants largely replaced the Anglo-Saxons as the ruling class of England. The nobility of England were part of a single Norman culture and many had lands on both sides of
13502-509: The United Kingdom but are instead self-governing Crown Dependencies . The Normans are noted both for their culture, such as their unique Romanesque architecture and musical traditions, and for their significant military accomplishments and innovations. Norman adventurers played a role in founding the Kingdom of Sicily under Roger II after briefly conquering southern Italy and Malta from
13659-569: The area of south-east Ireland, where the Hiberno-Normans invaded in 1169. Norman remains in (limited) use for some very formal legal purposes in the UK, such as when the monarch gives royal assent to an Act of Parliament using the phrase, " Le Roy (la Reyne) le veult " ("The King (the Queen) wills it"). The Norman conquest of southern Italy in the 11th and 12th centuries brought the language to Sicily and
13816-546: The arrival of the Normans is sometimes known as the "Salerno (or Salernitan) tradition". The Salerno tradition was first recorded by Amatus of Montecassino in his Ystoire de li Normant between 1071 and 1086. Much of this information was borrowed from Amatus by Peter the Deacon for his continuation of the Chronicon Monasterii Casinensis of Leo of Ostia , written during the early 12th century. Beginning with
13973-530: The assassination of Catapan Nikephoros Dokeianos at Ascoli in 1040 the Normans elected Atenulf, brother of Pandulf III of Benevento , their leader. On 16 March 1041, near Venosa on the Olivento , the Norman army tried to negotiate with Catapan Michael Dokeianos ; although they failed, they still defeated the Byzantine army in the Battle of Olivento . On 4 May 1041 the Norman army, led by William Iron Arm, defeated
14130-569: The battle, the Venetian fleet had secured a victory in the coast surrounding the city. Forced to retreat, Alexios ceded the city of Dyrrachium to the Count of the Tent (or Byzantine provincial administrators) mobilizing from Arbanon (i.e., ἐξ Ἀρβάνων ὁρμωμένω Κομισκόρτη; the term Κομισκόρτη is short for κόμης της κόρτης meaning "Count of the Tent"). The city's garrison resisted until February 1082, when Dyrrachium
14287-441: The borders of Salerno until there was little left of the once-great principality but the city of Salerno itself. Although he tried to extend his influence peacefully by betrothing his daughter to the oldest son of Atenulf of Gaeta, Richard later demanded the Lombard dower from the boy's parents when the boy died before the marriage. When the duke refused, Richard seized Aquino (one of Gaeta's few remaining fiefs) in 1058. However,
14444-431: The campaign. Guiamar sent 300 Norman knights from Aversa, including the three Hauteville brothers (who would achieve renown for their prowess in battle). William of Hauteville became known as William Bras-de-Fer ("William Iron Arm") for single-handedly killing the emir of Syracuse during that city's siege. The Norman contingent would leave before the campaign's end due to the inadequate distribution of Saracen loot. After
14601-541: The centre of the island by way of Rometta , which had remained loyal to at-Timnah. They passed through Frazzanò and the Pianura di Maniace (Plain of Maniakes), encountering resistance to their assault of Centuripe . Paternò fell quickly, and Robert brought his army to Castrogiovanni (modern Enna, the strongest fortress in central Sicily). Although the garrison was defeated the citadel did not fall, and with winter approaching Robert returned to Apulia. Before leaving, he built
14758-440: The channel. Early Norman kings of England, as Dukes of Normandy, owed homage to the King of France for their land on the continent. They considered England to be their most important holding (it brought with it the title of King—an important status symbol). Eventually, the Normans merged with the natives, combining languages and traditions, so much so that Marjorie Chibnall says "writers still referred to Normans and English; but
14915-401: The chronology of his conquest of Gaeta is confusing. Documents from 1058 and 1060 refer to Jordan (Richard's oldest son) as Duke of Gaeta , but these have been disputed as forgeries (since Atenulf was still duke when he died in 1062). After Atenulf's death, Richard and Jordan took over the rule of the duchy and allowed Atenulf's heir— Atenulf II —to rule as their subject until 1064 (when Gaeta
15072-457: The city. On 25 May, the navies of the count and the emir engaged in the harbour – where the latter was killed – while Jordan's forces besieged the city. The siege lasted throughout the summer, but when the city capitulated in March 1086 only Noto was still under Saracen dominion. In February 1091 Noto yielded as well, and the conquest of Sicily was complete. In 1091, Roger invaded Malta and subdued
15229-623: The consent of Pope Gregory VII and acting as his vassal, Robert continued his campaign conquering the Balkan peninsula as a foothold for western feudal lords and the Catholic Church. After allying himself with Croatia and the Catholic cities of Dalmatia, in 1081 he led an army of 30,000 men in 300 ships landing on the southern shores of Albania , capturing Valona , Kanina , Jericho ( Orikumi ), and reaching Butrint after numerous pillages. They joined
15386-511: The crusading forces of the Second Crusade , the Bishop of Porto and later Afonso Henriques according to De expugnatione Lyxbonensi convinced them to help with the siege of Lisbon . This time the city was captured and according to the arrangement agreed upon with the Portuguese monarch many of them settled in the newly sacked city. The following year the remainder of the crusading fleet, including
15543-518: The death of Robert. A few years after the First Crusade , in 1107, the Normans under the command of Bohemond, Robert's son, landed in Valona and besieged Dyrrachium using the most sophisticated military equipment of the time, but to no avail. Meanwhile, they occupied Petrela , the citadel of Mili at the banks of the river Deabolis , Gllavenica (Ballsh), Kanina and Jericho. This time, the Albanians sided with
15700-557: The descendants of the Norse settlers "had become not only Christians but in all essentials Frenchmen. They had adopted the French language, French legal ideas, and French social customs, and had practically merged with the Frankish or Gallic population among whom they lived". Between 1066 and 1204, as a result of the Norman conquest of England , most of the kings of England were also dukes of Normandy . In 1204, Philip II of France seized mainland Normandy by force of arms, having earlier declared
15857-459: The different developments and particular literary histories of the varieties of Norman. Norman may therefore be described as a pluricentric language . The Anglo-Norman dialect of Norman served as a language of administration in England following the Norman conquest of England in 1066. This left a legacy of Law French in the language of English courts (though it was also influenced by Parisian French ). In Ireland, Norman remained strongest in
16014-420: The emir of Syracuse ) in another surprise attack. Roger left Sicily in the summer of 1083 to assist his brother on the mainland; Jordan (whom he had left in charge) revolted, forcing him to return to Sicily and subjugate his son. In 1085, he was finally able to undertake a systematic campaign. On 22 May Roger approached Syracuse by sea, while Jordan led a small cavalry detachment 25 kilometres (15 miles) north of
16171-533: The equivalent lexical items in French: Other borrowings, such as canvas , captain , cattle and kennel , exemplify how Norman retained Latin /k/ that was not retained in French. In the United Kingdom, Acts of Parliament are confirmed with the words " Le Roy le veult " ("The King wishes it") and other Norman phrases are used on formal occasions as legislation progresses. Norman immigrants to North America also introduced some "Normanisms" to Quebec French and
16328-411: The establishment of a Norman dynasty in the south) gave him his daughter, Gaitelgrima , in marriage. Emperor Henry III confirmed the county of Aversa in its fidelity to him and made Drogo his vassal, granting him the title dux et magister Italiae comesque Normannorum totius Apuliae et Calabriae (duke and master of Italy and count of the Normans of all Apulia and Calabria, the first legitimate title for
16485-453: The failed siege of Tudela of 1087. In 1096, Crusaders passing by the siege of Amalfi were joined by Bohemond of Taranto and his nephew Tancred with an army of Italo-Normans. Bohemond was the de facto leader of the Crusade during its passage through Asia Minor . After the successful Siege of Antioch in 1097, Bohemond began carving out an independent principality around that city. Tancred
16642-649: The first Duke of Normandy and Count of Rouen. The area corresponded to the northern part of present-day Upper Normandy down to the river Seine , but the Duchy would eventually extend west beyond the Seine. The territory was roughly equivalent to the old province of Rouen , and reproduced the old Roman Empire 's administrative structure of Gallia Lugdunensis II (part of the former Gallia Lugdunensis in Gaul ). Before Rollo's arrival, Normandy's populations did not differ from Picardy or
16799-409: The fleet that had previously conquered Corfu and attacked Dyrrachium from land and sea, devastating everything along the way. Under these harsh circumstances, the locals accepted the call of Emperor Alexios I Comnenos to join forces with the Byzantines against the Normans. The Byzantine forces could not take part in the ensuing battle because it had started before their arrival. Immediately before
16956-588: The former Duchy of Normandy : the Channel Islands and the Cotentin Peninsula ( Cotentinais ) in the west, and the Pays de Caux ( Cauchois dialect ) in the east. Ease of access from Paris and the popularity of the coastal resorts of central Normandy, such as Deauville , in the 19th century led to a significant loss of distinctive Norman culture in the central low-lying areas of Normandy. Norman French preserves
17113-664: The former Frankish kingdom of Neustria . The treaty offered Rollo and his men the French coastal lands along the English Channel between the river Epte and the Atlantic Ocean coast in exchange for their protection against further Viking incursions. As well as promising to protect the area of Rouen from Viking invasion, Rollo swore not to invade further Frankish lands himself, accepted baptism and conversion to Christianity and swore fealty to King Charles III. Robert I of France stood as godfather during Rollo's baptism. He became
17270-452: The important ports opposite England across the English Channel . This relationship eventually produced closer ties of blood through the marriage of Emma , sister of Duke Richard II of Normandy , and King Ethelred II of England . Because of this, Ethelred fled to Normandy in 1013, when he was forced from his kingdom by Sweyn Forkbeard . His stay in Normandy (until 1016) influenced him and his sons by Emma, who stayed in Normandy after Cnut
17427-470: The independent Duke of Gaeta) received Siponto and Monte Gargano . During their reign William and Guaimar began the conquest of Calabria in 1044, and built the castle of Stridula (near Squillace ). William was less successful in Apulia, where he was defeated in 1045 near Taranto by Argyrus (although his brother, Drogo, conquered Bovino ). At William's death, the period of Norman mercenary service ended with
17584-586: The island and held it until 1053. During the 1010s and 1020s, a series of succession crises paved the way for interference by the Zirids of Ifriqiya . Sicily was wracked by turmoil as petty fiefdoms battled each other for supremacy. Into this, the Normans under Robert Guiscard and his younger brother Roger Bosso came intending to conquer; the pope had conferred on Robert the title of "Duke of Sicily". Robert and Roger first invaded Sicily in May 1061, crossing from Reggio di Calabria and besieging Messina for control of
17741-735: The landscape and give a distinct architectural flavor to accompany its unique history. Institutionally, the Normans combined the administrative machinery of the Byzantines, Arabs, and Lombards with their own conceptions of feudal law and order to forge a unique government. Under this state, there was great religious freedom, and alongside the Norman nobles existed a meritocratic bureaucracy of Jews, Muslims and Christians, both Catholic and Eastern Orthodox . The Kingdom of Sicily thus became characterized by Norman, Byzantine, Greek, Arab, Lombard and "native" Sicilian populations living in harmony, and its Norman rulers fostered plans of establishing an empire that would have encompassed Fatimid Egypt as well as
17898-455: The largest in southern Italy. In 1038 Byzantine Emperor Michael IV launched a military campaign into Muslim Sicily, with General George Maniaches leading the Christian army against the Saracens . The future king of Norway, Harald Hardrada , commanded the Varangian Guard in the expedition and Michael called on Guaimar IV of Salerno and other Lombard lords to provide additional troops for
18055-568: The last Lombard prince of Benevento died, and in 1078 the pope appointed Robert Guiscard to succeed him. In 1081, however, Guiscard relinquished Benevento. By then, the principality comprised little more than Benevento and its environs; it had been reduced in size by Norman conquests during the previous decades, especially after the Battle of Civitate and after 1078. At Ceprano in June 1080 the pope again gave Guiscard control of Benevento, an attempt to halt Norman incursions into it and associated territory in
18212-508: The leader of the Norman contingent at the Battle of Cannae in 1018 was Gilbert. If Rudolf is identified with the Rudolf of Amatus' history as a Drengot brother, he may have been the leader at Cannae. A modern hypothesis concerning the Norman arrival in the Mezzogiorno concerns the chronicles of Glaber, Adhemar and Leo (not Peter's continuation). All three chronicles indicate that Normans (either
18369-459: The local Gallo-Romance -speaking population, with the two communities converging to the point that the original Norsemen largely assimilated and adopted the local dialect of Old French while contributing some elements from the Old Norse language. This Norse-influenced dialect which then arose was known as Old Norman , and it is the ancestor of both the modern Norman language still spoken today in
18526-564: The more famous and illustrious Kings of England. Opportunistic bands of Normans successfully established a foothold in southern Italy . Probably as the result of returning pilgrims' stories, the Normans entered southern Italy as warriors in 1017 at the latest. In 999, according to Amatus of Montecassino , Norman pilgrims returning from Jerusalem called in at the port of Salerno when a Muslim attack occurred. The Normans fought so valiantly that Prince Guaimar III begged them to stay, but they refused and instead offered to tell others back home of
18683-477: The name of the region while the original Norsemen were largely assimilated by the Gallo-Romance people, adopting their speech but still contributing some elements from Old Norse language and Norse culture. Later, when conquering England, the Norman rulers in England would eventually assimilate, thereby adopting the speech of the local English. In both cases, the elites contributed elements of their own language to
18840-561: The name of their castle: Afranji, meaning "Franks". The known trade between Amalfi and Antioch and between Bari and Tarsus may be related to the presence of Italo-Normans in those cities while Amalfi and Bari were under Norman rule in Italy. Several families of Byzantine Greece were of Norman mercenary origin during the period of the Comnenian Restoration , when Byzantine emperors were seeking out western European warriors. The Raoulii were descended from an Italo-Norman named Raoul,
18997-530: The narrative sources was Roger I of Tosny who according to Ademar of Chabannes and the later Chronicle of St Pierre le Vif went to aid the Barcelonese in a series of raids against the Andalusi Muslims c. 1018 . Later in the eleventh century, other Norman adventurers such as Robert Crispin and Walter Giffard participated in the probably papal organised siege of Barbastro of 1064. Even after
19154-453: The newly enriched languages that developed in the territories. In Normandy, the Norman language inherited only some 150 words from Old Norse. The influence on phonology is disputed, although it is argued that the retention of aspirated / h / and / k / in Norman is due to Norse influence. Norman is spoken in mainland Normandy in France , where it has no official status, but is classed as
19311-445: The original colonists from Jersey who settled the then uninhabited island. The last first-language speakers of Auregnais , the dialect of Norman spoken on Alderney , died during the 20th century, although some rememberers are still alive. The dialect of Herm also lapsed at an unknown date; the patois spoken there was likely Guernésiais (Herm was not inhabited all year round in the Norman culture's heyday). An isogloss termed
19468-523: The other leaders petitioned Guaimar to recognize their conquests, and William was acknowledged as the Norman leader in Apula (which included Melfi and the Norman garrison at Troia ). He received the title of Count of Apulia from Guiamar, and (like Ranulf) was his vassal. Guaimar proclaimed himself Duke of Apulia and Calabria, although he was never formally invested as such by the Holy Roman Emperor. William
19625-400: The papacy (which Richard had attempted), and the conquests of Capua ceased. When Jordan died in 1090, his young son Richard II and his regents were unable to hold Capua. They were forced to flee the city by a Lombard, Lando , who ruled it with popular support until he was forced out by the combined Hauteville forces in the siege of Capua in 1098; this ended Lombard rule in Italy. In 1077
19782-638: The point that it has been said that they became " more Irish than the Irish themselves ". The Normans settled mostly in an area in the east of Ireland , later known as the Pale , and also built many fine castles and settlements, including Trim Castle and Dublin Castle . The cultures intermixed, borrowing from each other's language, culture and outlook. Norman surnames still exist today. Names such as French , (De) Roche , Devereux , D'Arcy and Lacy are particularly common in
19939-493: The pope. According to him, Gilbert's brothers were Osmund, Ranulf , Asclettin and Ludolf (Rudolf, according to Peter). Between 1016 and 1024, in a fragmented political context, the Lombard County of Ariano [ it ] was usurped by a group of Norman knights headed by Gilbert and hired by Melus. The County, which replaced the pre-existing chamberlainship, is considered to be the first political body established by
20096-445: The pre-existing chamberlainship, is considered to be the first political body established by the Normans in the south of Italy. Then Rainulf Drengot , from the same family, received the county of Aversa from Duke Sergius IV of Naples in 1030. The Hauteville family achieved princely rank by proclaiming Prince Guaimar IV of Salerno "Duke of Apulia and Calabria ". He promptly awarded their elected leader, William Iron Arm , with
20253-431: The rest, including what was not yet conquered, to Roger). In 1077 Roger besieged Trapani , one of the two remaining Saracen strongholds in the west of the island. His son, Jordan , led a sortie which surprised guards of the garrison's livestock. With its food supply cut off, the city soon surrendered. In 1079 Taormina was besieged, and in 1081 Jordan, Robert de Sourval and Elias Cartomi conquered Catania (a holding of
20410-741: The rise of two Norman principalities owing nominal allegiance to the Holy Roman Empire: the County of Aversa (later the Principality of Capua ) and the County of Apulia (later the Duchy of Apulia ). In 1046 Drogo entered Apulia and defeated the catepan, Eustathios Palatinos , near Taranto while his brother Humphrey forced Bari to conclude a treaty with the Normans. Also that year, Richard Drengot arrived with 40 knights from Normandy and Robert "Guiscard" Hauteville arrived with other Norman immigrants. In 1047 Guaimar (who had supported Drogo's succession and
20567-582: The rivers of France penetrated further into interior Europe , and evolved into more permanent encampments that included local French women and personal property. From 885 to 886, Odo of Paris (Eudes de Paris) succeeded in defending Paris against Viking raiders (one of the leaders was Sigfred ) with his fighting skills, fortification of Paris and tactical shrewdness. In 911, Robert I of France , brother of Odo, again defeated another band of Viking warriors in Chartres with his well-trained horsemen. This victory paved
20724-708: The shrine to Michael the Archangel at Monte Gargano in 1016 met the Lombard Melus of Bari , who persuaded them to join him in an attack on the Byzantine government of Apulia. As with the Salerno tradition, there are two primary sources for the Gargano story: the Gesta Roberti Wiscardi of William of Apulia (dated 1088–1110) and the Chronica monasterii S. Bartholomaei de Carpineto of a monk named Alexander, written about
20881-415: The south, Pope Benedict (who may have initiated Norman involvement in the war) went north in 1020 to Bamberg to confer with Holy Roman Emperor Henry II . Although the emperor took no immediate action, events the following year persuaded him to intervene. Boioannes (allied with Pandulf of Capua) marched on Dattus, who was garrisoning a tower in the territory of the Duchy of Gaeta with papal troops. Dattus
21038-467: The southeast of Ireland, especially in the southern part of Wexford County, where the first Norman settlements were established. Other Norman names, such as Furlong , predominate there. Another common Norman-Irish name was Morell (Murrell), derived from the French Norman name Morel . Names beginning with Fitz- (from the Norman for "son") usually indicate Norman ancestry. Hiberno -Norman surnames with
21195-533: The southern part of the Italian Peninsula , where it may have left a few words in the Sicilian language . See: Norman and French influence on Sicilian . Literature in Norman ranges from early Anglo-Norman literature through the 19th-century Norman literary renaissance to modern writers ( see list of Norman-language writers ). As of 2017 , the Norman language remains strongest in the less accessible areas of
21352-466: The strategically vital Strait of Messina . Roger crossed the strait first, landing unseen overnight and surprising the Saracen army in the morning. When Robert's troops landed later that day, they found themselves unopposed and Messina abandoned. Robert immediately fortified the city and allied himself with the emir , Ibn al-Timnah, against his rival Ibn al-Hawas. Robert, Roger, and at-Timnah then marched into
21509-645: The terms no longer meant the same as in the immediate aftermath of 1066." In the course of the Hundred Years' War , the Norman aristocracy often identified themselves as English. The Anglo-Norman language became distinct from the French spoken in Paris, something that was the subject of some humour by Geoffrey Chaucer . The Anglo-Norman language was eventually absorbed into the Anglo-Saxon language of their subjects (see Old English ) and influenced it, helping (along with
21666-443: The territories in southern Italy united as the Kingdom of Sicily , which included the island of Sicily , the southern third of the Italian Peninsula (except Benevento , which was briefly held twice), the archipelago of Malta , and parts of North Africa . Itinerant Norman forces arrived in southern Italy as mercenaries in the service of Lombard and Byzantine factions, communicating swiftly back home news about opportunities in
21823-503: The title of King of the Canary Islands , as vassal to Henry III of Castile . In 1418, Jean's nephew Maciot de Bethencourt sold the rights to the islands to Enrique Pérez de Guzmán, 2nd Count de Niebla . When Norse Vikings from Scandinavia arrived in the then-province of Neustria and settled the land that became known as Normandy, they originally spoke Old Norse , a North Germanic language . Over time, they came to live among
21980-489: The title of count in his capital of Melfi . The Drengot family thereafter attained the principality of Capua , and Emperor Henry III legally ennobled the Hauteville leader, Drogo , as " dux et magister Italiae comesque Normannorum totius Apuliae et Calabriae " (" Duke and Master of Italy and Count of the Normans of all Apulia and Calabria ") in 1047. From these bases, the Normans eventually captured Sicily and Malta from
22137-664: The treasure ship. Survivors of the wrecks had been taken prisoner by the island's despot Isaac Komnenos . On 1 May 1191, Richard's fleet arrived in the port of Limassol on Cyprus. He ordered Isaac to release the prisoners and the treasure. Isaac refused, so Richard landed his troops and took Limassol. Various princes of the Holy Land arrived in Limassol at the same time, in particular Guy de Lusignan . All declared their support for Richard provided that he support Guy against his rival Conrad of Montferrat . The local barons abandoned Isaac, who considered making peace with Richard, joining him on
22294-457: The tribute, the Normans ridiculed him and his Lombard subjects for cowardice, and they assaulted their besiegers. The Saracens fled. Booty was confiscated and a grateful Guaimar asked the Normans to stay. They refused, but promised to bring his rich gifts to their compatriots in Normandy and tell them about possibly lucrative military service in Salerno. Some sources have Guaimar sending emissaries to Normandy to bring back knights, and this account of
22451-542: The valley of Crati , near Cosenza . He distributed the conquered territories in Calabria and gave his brother, Robert Guiscard , a castle at Scribla to guard the entrance to the recently conquered territory; Guiscard would later abandon it for a castle at San Marco Argentano . Shortly thereafter he married the daughter of another Norman lord, who gave him 200 knights (furthering his military campaign in Calabria). In 1051 Drogo
22608-509: The way for Rollo 's baptism and settlement in Normandy . 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 (Charles the Simple) (879–929, ruled 893–929) of West Francia and the famed Viking ruler Rollo also known as Gaange Rolf ( c. 846 – c. 929 ), from Scandinavia , and was situated in
22765-422: The Ætheling , who left England in 1086, and Jarl Erling Skakke , who won his nickname ("Skakke", meaning bent head) after a battle against Arabs in Sicily. On the other hand, many Anglo-Danish rebels fleeing William the Conqueror joined the Byzantines in their struggle against Robert Guiscard , duke of Apulia , in Southern Italy. The earliest reported date of the arrival of Norman knights in southern Italy
22922-550: Was Ralph of Tosni . If the first confirmed Norman military actions in the south involved Melus' mercenaries against the Byzantines in May 1017, the Normans probably left Normandy between January and April. On 9 May 1009, an insurrection erupted in Bari against the Catapanate of Italy , the regional Byzantine authority based there. Led by Melus , a local Lombard, the revolt quickly spread to other cities. Late that year (or early in 1010)
23079-402: Was a great fief of medieval France. The Norman dukes exercised independent control of their holdings in Normandy, while at the same time being vassals owing fealty to the King of France, and under Richard I of Normandy (byname "Richard sans Peur" meaning "Richard the Fearless") the duchy was forged into a cohesive and formidable principality in feudal tenure. By the end of his reign in 996,
23236-405: Was assassinated by Byzantine conspirators and was succeeded by his brother, Humphrey. Humphrey's first challenge was to deal with papal opposition to the Normans. The Norman knights' treatment of the Lombards during Drogo's reign triggered more revolts. During the unrest, the Italo-Norman John, Abbot of Fécamp was accosted on his return trip from Rome; he wrote to Pope Leo IX : The hatred of
23393-411: Was betrayed to the Normans by the Venetian and Amalfitan merchants who had settled there. The Normans were now free to penetrate into the hinterland; they took Ioannina and some minor cities in southwestern Macedonia and Thessaly before appearing at the gates of Thessalonica. Dissension among the high ranks coerced the Normans to retreat to Italy. They lost Dyrrachium, Valona, and Butrint in 1085, after
23550-415: Was captured and, on 15 June 1021, received the traditional Roman poena cullei : he was tied up in a sack with a monkey, a rooster and a snake and thrown into the sea. In 1022, a large imperial army marched south in three detachments under Henry II, Pilgrim of Cologne and Poppo of Aquileia to attack Troia. Although Troia did not fall, the Lombard princes were allied with the Empire and Pandulf removed to
23707-730: Was developed between the 10th and 13th centuries and survives today through the legal systems of Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Islands . Norman customary law was transcribed in two customaries in Latin by two judges for use by them and their colleagues: These are the Très ancien coutumier ( Very ancient customary ), authored between 1200 and 1245; and the Grand coutumier de Normandie ( Great customary of Normandy , originally Summa de legibus Normanniae in curia laïcali ), authored between 1235 and 1245. Norman language Previously used: Norman or Norman French ( Normaund , French : Normand [nɔʁmɑ̃] , Guernésiais : Normand , Jèrriais : Nouormand )
23864-523: Was fully incorporated into the Drengot principality). Richard and Jordan appointed puppet, usually Norman, dukes. When the prince of Capua died in 1057, Richard immediately besieged the comune . This chronology is also unclear. Pandulf was succeeded at Capua by his brother, Landulf VIII , who is recorded as prince until 12 May 1062. Richard and Jordan took the princely title in 1058, but apparently allowed Landulf to continue ruling beneath them for at least four years more. In 1059 Pope Nicholas II convened
24021-456: Was held on 12 May 1191 at the Chapel of St. George and it was attended by Richard's sister Joan , whom he had brought from Sicily . The marriage was celebrated with great pomp and splendor. Among other grand ceremonies was a double coronation: Richard caused himself to be crowned King of Cyprus , and Berengaria Queen of England and Queen of Cyprus as well. The rapid Anglo-Norman conquest proved more important than it seemed. The island occupied
24178-462: Was instrumental in introducing Normans and Norman culture to Scotland , part of the process some scholars call the " Davidian Revolution ". Having spent time at the court of Henry I of England (married to David's sister Maud of Scotland ), and needing them to wrestle the kingdom from his half-brother Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair , David had to reward many with lands. The process was continued under David's successors, most intensely of all under William
24335-418: Was instrumental in the conquest of Jerusalem and he worked for the expansion of the Crusader kingdom in Transjordan and the region of Galilee .. After the First Crusade to the Levant, the Normans continued with their involvement in Iberia as well as other areas of the Mediterranean. Among them was Rotrou of Perche and his followers Robert Burdet and William Giffard who joined multiple expeditions into
24492-535: Was married to Guida (daughter of Guy , Duke of Sorrento and Guaimar's niece), strengthening the alliance between the Normans and Guaimar. At Melfi in 1043, Guaimar divided the region (except for Melfi itself, which was to be governed on a republican model) into twelve baronies for the Norman leaders. William received Ascoli , Asclettin Drengot received Acerenza , Tristan received Montepeloso , Hugh Tubœuf received Monopoli , Peter received Trani , Drogo of Hauteville received Venosa and Ranulf Drengot (now
24649-455: Was well publicized and contributed to his reputation; he also derived significant financial gains from the conquest of the island. Richard left for Acre on 5 June, with his allies. Before his departure, he named two of his Norman generals, Richard de Camville and Robert de Thornham , as governors of Cyprus. While in Limassol, Richard the Lion-Heart married Berengaria of Navarre , first-born daughter of King Sancho VI of Navarre . The wedding
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