A short history of the Normans on Virtualtripping.

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A short history of the Normans on Virtualtripping.

By Mark on August 18, 2010

This is a Youtube video taken from the BBC Norman season programs, this is “The Normans”, it is brilliant.

So who were the Normans and when were they around on the dateline. Well the Normans were people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. The Normans actually came from Viking desendants who were the conquerors of the territory and the native population of mostly Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock. It was around the first half of the tenth century, when the Normans finally became evolved over succeeding centuries. The name “Normans” derives from Nortmanni (Northmen), after the Vikings who founded Normandy. These people played a major role in history when it came to political, military, and cultural role’s in medieval Europe and even the Near East. They became more famous for their martial spirit and Christian piety. These people were very quick at adopteing the Romance language of the land that they settled in, and making their dialect become known as Norman, this language became an important literary language.

Pevensey - William the Conqueror

Photo by antonychammond

Holy Cross Abbey Sligo (St Dominic?)

Photo by Fergal OP

The Duchy of Normandy, which they formed by treaty with the French crown, was one of the great large fiefs of medieval France. But the Norman people were very clever and this was due to the creation of their culture, and becoming famous for their unique Romanesque architecture, and their musical traditions, as well as for their military accomplishments and innovations. They were not frightened of anything it appears and they went to war and took over many areas some including a Norman kingdom in Sicily and southern Italy by conquest, and also a Norman expedition on behalf of their duke, that went on to the Norman Conquest of England. Norman influence spread from these new centres to the Crusader States in the Near East, to Scotland and Wales in Great Britain, and to Ireland.

Oxford Castle

Photo by Lawrence OP

In Russian historiography, the term “Norman” is often used for the Varangians, as for example in the term “Normanist theory”. In French historiography too, the term is often applied to the various Viking groups that raided France in the ninth century before settling down to found Normandy.
I have been watching the Normans season on the BBC television network and have been fascinated by what I have seen, they are not just dealing with the historic side of the Normans, but there are programs on the Norman Walks through Britian, as well as seeing Norman life through their own peoples eyes in dramas and getting to learn about the Doomsday book and of cause William the Conquer, the first Norman to defeat the English in 1066.

Battle Field - 1066

Photo by Howard.

Battle Field - 1066

Photo by Howard.

They did so much to help the English people, but at the time they really were very bad to the English Saxons, defeating and humiliating them. They would burn Saxon buildings and kill many Anglo-Saxon rebels, aswell as killing and chopping up King Harold the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. But the Normans created a much better and securer England and went on to create the Great Britian, that we know of today. Bringing by force or friendship, the nations of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales together, even though there are still problems today, especially in Ireland, between the Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland people. So whatever we think of the Normans they really did help us over here back in the 10th century.

Original Norman Castle at Tower of London