Normandy owes its name to the Vikings . While the raids were in full swing, the warriors of the North landed on the coasts of Western Gaul at the end of the 8th century. In 911 , the county of Rouen was left to the Viking leader Rollo , in an agreement with the King of France. The Vikings settled on this small piece of land, in the West of France, and thus created Normandy.
The colonization of Normandy by the Vikings
It is the year 800. The Viking raids have been in full swing since the previous year, in England as well as in France . Aboard their longships, the Scandinavian warriors land on the coasts of western Gaul and arrive first in Rouen. As usual, the Vikings attack the monastic treasures. Then they go up the Seine to besiege Paris , before bringing their booty back to the lands of the North.
But far from them the desire to stop there. The Viking armies set sail again towards France in the year 850. In 851, the Nordic barbarians set fire to the Abbey of Fontenelle (today Saint-Wandrille Abbey), in Seine-Maritime before attacking the Capital again in 856 and 861.
The Kings of France Face the Viking Invasions
Faced with these repeated attacks, the Carolingian kings became afraid . Charles II the Bald, by the Treaty of Compiègne in 867, gave the Breton king Salomon the county of Cotentin in exchange for his help and loyalty in the face of the offensives of the Viking peoples.
At the same time, the King of the Franks had a wooden bridge built in Paris, defended by fortifications . Fortifications that would not stop the Vikings, since they besieged Paris for the fourth time in 885.
The Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte gives Normandy to the Vikings
In order to end the fighting and protect France as best as possible from barbarian attacks, King Charles the Simple (on the throne since 898) decided not to pursue the losing strategies of his predecessors. He therefore concluded an agreement with Rollo , a Viking leader, in 911. This agreement, marked by the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, stipulated that the king would hand over the county of Rouen to Rollo on condition that he cease attacks and pillages on French territory. The Viking leader must also, by this agreement, prevent any external Viking incursion onto French soil and be baptized.
The expansion of Normandy by the Vikings
Although he fully respected the treaty he had just signed, Rollo still wanted to expand his lands . A first extension was noted in the year 924, then a second time in the year 933. Rollo now occupied Bessin, the Pays d'Auge, Hiémois, Cotentin, Avranchin as well as the Channel Islands.
Viking settlement in Normandy
Following the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, Rollon and his men settled on the Norman territory that was theirs . The Viking leader was baptized in Rouen Cathedral in 912 and took the first name Robert, after his godfather, Duke Rober. Peace then returned to the entire region and men of faith could now return to churches and abbeys without fear.
When Rollo died around 925, his son, William Longsword, succeeded him. Also known as William I of Normandy, he then became Duke of Normandy . Or rather, like his father, Jarl of the Normans. William Longsword married Sprota, a Breton, then Liutgarde of Vermandois, daughter of Count Herbert I. Through these marriages, the Viking people officially united with France.
More Danico : Danish wedding in Normandy
More Danico is a Latin expression meaning "in the Danish way". Danish marriage refers to the polygamy practiced by the Vikings who settled in Normandy . Indeed, despite their conversion to Christianity, the men of the North did not forget their traditional practices. This practice led to a high rate of matronyms in Normandy. That is to say, surnames originating from a female first name. And French female first names, since the newly Norman Vikings fell in love with the women of the country that now adopted them.
What remains of the Vikings in Normandy today?
According to a collaborative work between French and British researchers, a DNA signature is sometimes readable among the Normans. A signature that they have, for some, in common with the Viking people that were their ancestors. But the Viking heritage left to the Normans goes beyond genetics.
Viking linguistic influences in Normandy
The main legacy of the Vikings that Normandy still has today is undoubtedly the language . When they arrived on French soil, the Vikings quickly adopted the language spoken there while having an influence on it. They brought to the local language almost 200 words from Old Norse , as well as a specific phonetics.
Surnames straight from Scandinavia
Many Normans still have a Scandinavian-sounding name , even if many have been Frenchified over time. We thus find names such as: Anfry , Estur , Gounouf , Théroude , Turgis , Quétil , …
Normandy also has a very high rate of matronyms , originating from French female first names. In fact, giving the mother's first name or nickname as a family name to a child was a way of distinguishing children born to the same father but different mothers, as was common among the Vikings.
Viking archaeological discoveries in Normandy
In recent decades, there have been a few archaeological discoveries related to the Vikings , although they remain rare. Among these, we note the discovery of a female Viking burial as well as a pair of Nordic fibulae . In 2007, a hoard of Viking coins dating from around the year 890 was also found in the Eure. And finally, swords apparently used by the Scandinavians were dredged up in the Normandy part of the Seine.
Normandy, where does your name come from?
Normandy comes from the term "Norman", which means "men of the north" . And at the time, the men of the north were indeed the Vikings. So it was they who gave the land they had just conquered its current name.
The history of Normandy as such therefore begins in the 10th century , when Rollo's Viking army came to settle there following the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte. Today, it keeps the name that these men from the north left it as a legacy.
