(An Anecdote)
Introduction
Ever wondered why the French spoken in Normandy sounds distinct? Maybe you’ve also asked yourself why over 10,000 English words have “Norman” etymology. Guys, we are going to look at what goes on in my mind whenever the word “Normandy” pops up, today.
I consider myself somewhat of a history aficionado, and I like to pen my thoughts down in some weird little anecdotes.
So…Normandy. I’m not talking about the D-day, 6th June 1944, the Allied Invasion of occupied France in WWII. Forget about all that. We’re going further back in time to when France was still The Frankish Empire, before the 1000s AD.
We’re checking out the origins of Normandy as a distinct region of its own.
So, Normandy is a geographical and cultural region in Northwest France, but it didn’t always have that name. Even France as a whole wasn’t called France then.
Let us do a little background story here.
Background
France came to be after the Frankish people became the dominant ethnic group in the region. The Franks were a Germanic tribe that emerged in the 3rd century AD from the east bank of the lower Rhine river. They were insolent and fierce, and made incursions into modern day France. What was the name for modern day France back then?
Ah, yes. Gallia Lugdunensis. That basically means “The Celtic part of Gaul with Lugdunum (modern day Lyon) as its capital,” because Gaul was a region that was extensive and had constantly changing borders.
Wait, why does that sound like Latin? Because it is.
Latin? Rome? Romans! Exactly. You’re getting the point.
So the Romans had been doing a lot of conquering between 300-100BC, and that’s when they added Gaul to the map of the Roman empire. They conquered present day Normandy in 98AD, and integrated it into the region called Gallia Lugdunensis.
You’re probably wondering what the Romans have got to do with this, but let me finish.
The Fall of Rome and The Ascendancy of The Franks
By the 5th century AD, the Roman empire fell, and the Franks became the top dogs in the area. They had united, did a bit of their own conquering, and by 540AD they had created the Frankish Kingdom, holding control of most of western Europe. By then Normandy had no distinct identity, but was just part of the Frankish kingdom of Nuestria.
Western Europe more or less maintained the above status quo until around the 8th century AD, when something happened to change the political landscape of Europe.
Charlemagne, the greatest Frankish king and founder of the Frankish Empire popped up. He expanded his territory, ruling over lands from Northern Italy to the French coast. He brutally subdued the Saxons, a fierce group of people in present day North Germany.
This made the King of Denmark really uncomfortable, because hey, who wants an expansionist king that close to their borders? They signed a treaty, and Charlemagne promised to not try to take Danish stuff, but the Danish King didn’t believe him.
The Danes had lost a buffer state, and tensions got worse when Charlemagne started building a navy.
So the King of Denmark is like: “What! A navy? Like a group of ships that can be used to ferry soldiers across the Baltic sea to my lands?”
Charlemagne: “Err, yes?”
So the Danish King decided to strike first. He gathered 200 ships and started raiding the Franks. Charlemagne was like: “you started it,” and launched his own expedition, and war seemed imminent.
But the two monarchs died. The same year.
Yeesh.
The First Viking Raids in Europe
The Frankish navy dissolved, but the Danes decided that raiding and taking people’s stuff was wayyy more profitable than farming, and so the raids continued.
Charlemagne’s son, Louis the Pious, was called that because he devoted himself to a life of piety after showing remorse for executing his nephew for rebellion. He disgraced himself in acts of penance in public. He was a weak ruler who made the mistake of dividing his empire between his three sons at his death. The empire became West, East and Middle Francia. West Francia became France. East Francia later became the Holy Roman Empire and later modern Germany.
Meanwhile, a group of men in the North had been thinking of going South and taking some stuff for themselves.
Can you guess? I’ll give you a hint.
Long, shaggy hair. Longships. Horned helmets. Axes. Raids. Vikings?
I guess I went too far and gave you a lot of hints, but yes, THE VIKINGS. They came, raided, and terrorised the Frankish lands. The three sons had been fighting each other, seeking to be the supreme leader of the three kingdoms. Each son made the mistake of hiring vikings to fight the other sons. This made the Vikings richer, more powerful, and most importantly more aware of the lay of the land.
You must be asking, why have we mentioned Vikings and there has been no news of Ragnar Lothbrok?
Well, that was because he had been raiding England. He came to Paris much later, and occupied it in 885 AD. The King of France then, Charles the Bald, offered Ragnar SIX THOUSAND POUNDS OF SILVER to leave the city. And that was the first Danegeld.
A Danegeld is a ransom paid to Vikings to make them leave a city.
Ask yourself, isn’t it stupid to give a bunch of thieves some stuff to stop them from coming back and taking your stuff?
What happened was that when the other Vikings heard that Ragnar went to Paris and got paid, they rightly decided that raiding monasteries was stupid in comparison.
Over the next few decades Vikings started besieging and occupying French cities to get their own Danegeld.
Rollo, The “Father” of The Normans
Viking attacks in France
Paris suffered attacks THRICE in the 880s.
Three times. The third time a man named Rollo came with them. Rollo was part of the Great Heathen Army that was defeated by King Alfred of Wessex. They were looking for stuff to take elsewhere, so they converged on Paris.
Rollo was a big man. He was too big to be carried by any horse, so he walked. Maybe it was his mens’ idea of a joke, but he was called Rollo the Walker.
Paris wasn’t an easy target anymore. The French had fortified the city with pontoon bridges and thick walls. So when Rollo and his men showed up, the siege dragged on longer than he expected. The King then was named Charles the Fat (yes, because he was fat) and he offered Rollo seven hundred pounds of silver to leave Paris and ravage the Burgundy region.
You see, the Burgundians hated Charles, and by paying them he had bought enemies for Burgundy.
Rollo ravaged Burgundy for twenty six years, but he still thought of Paris late at night. He headed back North, and passed Chartres. When Rollo arrived he found the Bishop of Chartres and the city soldiers arrayed for battle. They fought, and Rollo withdrew.
Rollo gets a Deal
France got a new King, Charles. He was a cousin of Charles the Fat, but he was called Charles the Simple.
Charles the Simple was a smart man. He knew that paying Danegeld was a stupid idea. He also knew that France was broke. They had paid A hundred and twenty thousand pounds of silver in Danegelds, and it didn’t stop the Vikings from coming back. He needed a buffer state. One that would be controlled by a Viking that had everything to lose.
Charles the Simple also knew that Rollo was getting old.
So he offered terms.
“Hey Rollo,” said Charles
“Hey, Charles,” said Rollo
“I’ve got a deal for you. How about you convert to Christianity and we become buddies. If I need your help, you’ll help me. If you need my help, I’ll help you. Then I’ll give you lands to the Northwest of France. Deal?”
“Deal!” As soon as he hears ‘lands,’ Rollo signs the document without reading it.
“But wait…don’t those lands happen to contain rivers previously used by fellow Vikings to sail into France and raid?”
“Err, yes…”
Charles disappears with a signed document
The Birth of Normandy
So Rollo and his men got baptised (which they mostly saw as taking a fancy dip in water and getting fancier robes, as per the custom), and got shiny new lands in Northwestern France. Rollo himself settled in Rouen as the lord of the city. The region became a new duchy, with Rollo as the first Viking duke in France.
This land came to be called “The land of the Northmen,” or “Normandy.” The Latin word for “Northmen” is “Normani,” see?
Rouen would be its capital.
The Vikings liked what they were given, and decided that settling down was better than a life of brigandry. What’s better was that they were good at defending Normandy from other Viking incursions, so the raids stopped.
France got a buffer region of competent and loyal soldiers, and everyone was happy. Win win.
Rollo built a bunch of castles to fortify the region, married a christian woman, and got to work. He ruled well and kept up appearances as a christian lord, but he still was a Viking at heart. So before he died, he decided to hedge his bets and play both sides.
He’d try to be buddies with both Jesus and Odin.
For Jesus, he donated a hundred pounds of silver to the Church.
To Odin, he sacrificed a hundred prisoners.
Smart guy, right?
Conclusion
The Norman Legacy
Paganism died with Rollo.
His descendants, The Normans, would speak French, albeit one tinged with a little Old Norse. They’d adopt French cultures and religion, but would retain the fierceness of their Viking ancestors. The Normans would play an important part in the Crusades against Muslim encroachment. Rollo’s descendant, William the Conqueror, would defeat King Harold Godwinson at The Battle of Hastings and claim the English throne in 1066.
In fact, Rollo’s descendants still seat on the English throne TODAY.
The beaches of Normandy would see some intense fighting in World War II, where the Allies would storm them during D-Day, turning the tide against the Nazis. It’s like history wanted to make this beach the stage for some epic drama. And epic it was, with tanks, soldiers, and enough chaos to make even a Viking blush.
So that’s it. The History of Normandy as it goes in my small mind.