Historically a province of France, Normandy is a region of northern France occupying the lower Seine area (upper or Haute-Normandie) and the region to the west (lower or Basse-Normandie) as far as the Cotentin Peninsula. Upper Normandy consists of the French d�partements of Seine-Maritime and Eure, and lower Normandy of the d�partements of Orne, Calvados, and Manche.
Normandy contains 3.2 million inhabitants, with an average population density of 107 per square kilometre, just under the national average, but rising to 145 for upper Normandy. The principal cities are Rouen (population 385,000, including suburbs), the capital of upper Normandy and formerly of the whole province; Le Havre (247,000); Caen (200,000), the capital of lower Normandy; and Cherbourg (89,000).
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The Channel Isles
The Channel Islands are still governed by Britain although they are not part of the UK but rather the Duchy of Normandy. The British monarch is toasted Duke of Normandy, but is not technically Duke of Normandy as any claims by a British monarch to the title were surrendered by the Treaty of Paris of 1259 (the rights of succession of that title were governed by Salic Law).
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Caen
History
Medieval
World War II
Time-Line
World War II
The homeland of the Normans, a mixture of the original French inhabitants and Viking settlers since the early Middle Ages, the Vikings under Rollo (G�nge Rolf) besieged Paris and, by the Treaty of St-Claire-sur-Epte in 911, recieved the Duchy from Charles the Simple in return for its defence against the attacks of further marauders.
Rollo's descendant William, Duke of Normany, invaded England in 1066, defeating the Englsih and killing King Harold II at the Battle of Senlac or Hastings (Sept. 14th) and was crowned King of England on December 25th.
Normandy remained closely associated with England until the death of The Conqueror in 1087 when his English and Norman domains were divided between his sons William Rufus and Robert.
In 1106, Normandy returned into the possession of the Kings of England when Henry I revenged Duke Robert II's attempt to invade England in 1101 by seizing the Duchy and taking Robert prisoner. It remained a possession of the English Crown until 1144 when the King of France formally granted the Duchy to Henry of Anjou during the turbulent reign of, and civil war between, Stephen and Matilda in England.
When Matilda's son acceeded to the English throne in 1154 as Henry II to establish the Plantagenet dynasty, as Count of Anjou he possessed almost half of France as vassal of the King of France causing the English crown to claim the French posessions for several generations although Normandy was lost by King John in 1204.
Normandy was again captured by Edward III in 1346, starting the series of Anglo-French conflicts over territory in france which has become known as the "Hundred Years' War". Normandy was surrendered by Edward III in 1360 as part of the Treaty of Br�tigny.
It was captured by the English again in 1415 and lost again with the surrender of Cherbourg, the last English possession in Normandy, on August 12th, 1450.
World War II
The Normandy Invasion by British, US and Canadian troops of World War II against Nazi-occupied France started on "D-Day", June 6th, 1944 and was named "Operation Overlord". Caen suffered severely in the fighting for the province, which continued until the liberation of Le Havre on September 12th.
| 911 | | Treaty of St-Claire-sur-Epte: Rolf (or Rollo) became the ruler of Normandy. The Duchy of Normandy
founded and Viking raids on northern France stopped as Rollo does homage to Charles the Simple and converts to Christianity | | BAAAGBKY BAAAGDDL BAAAGDDN | | 1013 | | Ethelred the Unready, Edward (later king Edward the Confessor) and his brother Alfred taken to Normandy by Emma to shelter from the Danish invasion under the protection of her brother
Richard II | | BAAAGBIW BAAAGEEN BAAAGDDN | | 1035 | | William
became Duke of Normandy | | | | 1040 | | Hardicanute becomes King of England | | BAAAGBRA BAAAGBIW BAAAGDDN | | 1042.Jun.08 | | Death of King Hardicanute - Canutes last son - Edward (the Confessor) becomes king of England
One of his first acts is to confiscate the estates of his mother, Emma of Normandy | | BAAAGBRA BAAAGBIW BAAAGDDN | | 1051 | | Edward the Confessor was said to have promised the English crown to Willliam, Duke of Normandy | | BAAAGBIW BAAAGDIU | | 1051 | | Harold Godwinson, heir apparent
to the English crown, becomes a captive of William of Normandy | | BAAAGDIU | | 1066.Oct.14 | | THE NORMAN CONQUEST OF ENGLAND: The Battle of Hastings or Senlac - Harold II slain and the English
defeated by William, Duke of Normandy | | BAAAGDIU 00000000 BAAAGBUO BAAAGEFP BAAAGEFQ | | 1066.Oct.14 | | Harold II slain and the English
defeated at the Battle of Hastings or Senlac by William, Duke of Normandy | | BAAAGDIU BAAAGEFP BAAAGEFQ | | 1078 | | Revolt by Robert Curthose | | BAAAGBVE BAAAGBTK BAAAGDKV | | 1079 | | Malcolm III of Scotland attacked the north of England while William I was in Normandy | | BAAAGEKC | | 1079 | | Robert Curthose submits to his father William I after unhorsing him at the seige of Gerberoi | | BAAAGBVE BAAAGBTK BAAAGDKV | | 1087.Sep.09 | | Death of
William I (the
Conqueror), one of his sons became king as William II (Rufus) [old William II page] while
another became Duke of Normandy as Robert II
Willaim and Robert warred over Normandy until the later took up the cross in 1096
Political Prisoners such as Roger Fitz-Osbern were released on the king's death | | BAAAGBZD BAAAGDJD BAAAGBVE BAAAGBTK | | 1091 | | Malcolm III of Scotland attacked
the north of England while William II was in Normandy | | BAAAGBZD BAAAGEKC | | 1096 | | Robert II, Duke of Normandy mortgaged Normandy to William II for �6,000 to enable him to go on the First Crusade | | BAAAGBZD BAAAGBXR BAAAGDJD BAAAGCBL | | 1100.Aug.02 | | William II (Rufus) killed hunting in the New
Forest, Henry I [old page] becomes king
Henry took advatange of the
absence of his brother, Robert
II, Duke of Normandy, to seize the English Crown | | BAAAGBZD BAAAGCBL | | 1101.Feb | | Robert II, Duke of Normandy lands at Portsmouth to
mount an unsuccessful invasion of England to wrest the throne from his younger
brother, Henry I | | BAAAGDJD BAAAGCBL BAAAGGAM | | 1106 | | Henry I defeats his brother Robert
II, Duke of Normandy at Tinchebray taking him prisoner and winning Normandy
Robert spent the rest of his life as the prisoner of Henry at Devizes, Bristol and Cardiff ((Sept 28th?)) | | BAAAGDJD BAAAGCBL BAAAGDAI BAAAGEDZ | | 1134 | | Robert II, Duke of Normandy
died in England as a prisoner of his younger brother, Henry I who had held him since 1106 | | BAAAGDJD BAAAGCBL | | 1136.Sep | | Geoffrey of Anjou raids Normandy | | BAAAGCBO | | 1137 | | King Stephen does homage to the King of France as Duke of Normandy | | BAAAGCBO | | 1137.Mar | | King Stephen crosses to Normandy to enforce his claim to the duchy
His failure to capture the duchy started to lose him support amongst the magnates | | BAAAGCBO | | 1138 | | Geoffrey of Anjou raids Normandy | | BAAAGCBO | | 1142.Jun | | Robert of Gloucester sails from Wareham to Normandy to personally request aid for Matilda\\\'s cause
He stays in Normandy for summer helping Geoffrey of Anjou capture ten Norman castles | | BAAAGCBO BAAAGCAI | | 1144 | | Louis VII of France formally grants Henry of Anjou (Henry II of England) the Duchy of Normandy | | BAAAGBKY BAAAGBVF BAAAGCBO | | 1144.Jan.20 | | Geoffrey of Anjou captures Rouen in Normandy and assumes title of Duke of Normandy | | BAAAGCBO | | 1145 | | Geoffrey of Anjou conquers Arques and holds all of the duchy of Normandy | | BAAAGCBO | | 1148 | | Matilda returned to Normandy | | | | 1151 | | Death of Geoffrey of Anjou, Duke of Normandy and husband of the Empress Matilda | | BAAAGCBO | | 1154.Oct.25 | | Death of King Stephen of chronic flux of haemorroids or an heart attack at Dover.
Henry II becomes the first Plantagenet king of England (as settled by the Treaty of Wallingford the previous year)
As count of Anjou, Henry II possessed almost half of France as a vassal of the French King | | BAAAGBKY BAAAGCBO BAAAGBVF BAAAGEHJ | | 1200 | | The 13th century was the
culmination of the Middle Ages which would decline until the birth of the
Renaissance in the 15th century.
The kings of England had lost much of the
French possessions brought by the first Plantagenet king and Normandy was lost
during this century. Edward I (Longshanks ) conquered the Welsh princes and
attempted to rule Scotland.
Abroad, the succession of crusades to wrest the
Holy Land from the hands of the Muslims continued but would end with the fall of
Acre at the end of the century.
Asia was dominated by the Mongols, the
Mongol Dynasty in China at its zenith during the reign of Kublai Khan - during
the century they advanced through Russia and even attacked Central Europe. | | BAAABGXR BAAAGBXR BAAAGBKA BAAAGBKY BAAAGEKC | | 1204.Jun | | King John loses Normandy which is taken by Philip II of France | | BAAAGBKY BAAAGEEU | | 1259.Dec.04 | | Treaty of Paris comes into force: Henry III renounced his claims to Normandy, Anjou, Maine, Touraine, and Poitou (titles of Duke of Normandy and Count of Anjou dropped from the royal style) | | BAAAGBSW paris | | 1346.Aug.26 | | The Battle of Crecy; led by King Edward III and his son the Black Prince, English longbows defeat the French | | BAAAGCXP BAAAGBKY BAAAGEFP BAAAGEFQ | | 1360.May.08 | | Treaty of Br�tigny: Edward III secures possession of Guienne and Gascony, Poitou, Saintonge and Aunis, Agenais, P�rigord, Limousin, Quercy, Bigorre, the countship of Gaure, Angoumois, Rouergue, Montreuil-sur-mer, Ponthieu, Calais, Sangatte, Ham and the countship of Guines, surrendering
the duchies of Normandy and Touraine, the countships of Anjou and Maine, and the suzerainty of Brittany and of Flanders | | BAAAGCCR | | 1415.Oct.25 | | Battle of Agincourt successfully concludes Henry V\\\'s French campaign of 1415
A larger campaign is mounted in 1417 | | BAAAGEEY BAAAGEFP BAAAGEFQ | | 1450.Aug.12 | | Surrender of Cherbourg, the last English territory in Normandy, to the French
The loss of Normandy was a great blow to the prestige of Henry VI | | BAAAGBKY BAAAGCRH | | 1944.Sep.12 | | Liberation of Le Havre by the Allies | | | | 1990.Oct.13 | | Highworth, Swindon, twinned with Pontorson in Normandy | | BAAAGEED |
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