Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

NORMANDY

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V19, Page 751 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

NORMANDY , a See also:

province of old See also:France, bounded on the N.E. by the See also:river Bresle, which falls into the Channel at Treport and separates Normandy from See also:Picardy, and then roughly by the Epte, which divides the Vexin into two parts. From the confluence of the Epte and See also:Seine to Ivry, the boundary between Normandy and the Ile-de-France is artificial; it is afterwards practically determined by the course of the See also:Eure and the See also:Sarthe. But from there to the See also:sea Normandy is separated by no natural boundary either from See also:Maine or afterwards from See also:Brittany; it lies fairly regularly in the direction from E. to W. The boundary between the See also:coast of Normandy and that of Brittany is formed by the mouth of the Couesnon. Normandy is washed by the See also:English Channel and lies opposite to See also:England. The See also:northern See also:part of the coast consists of cliffs, which cease at the mouth of the Seine, the See also:estuary of which is 12 km. wide from See also:Havre to See also:Trouville; the coast of See also:Calvados consists of rocks and beaches; that of the See also:peninsula of Cotentin is sandy on the eastern See also:side and See also:granite on the See also:west; in the See also:north it forms between the point of See also:Barfleur and the cape of La See also:Hague a See also:kind of See also:concave arc in which lies the See also:harbour of See also:Cherbourg. See also:Historical See also:Geography.—In the See also:time of See also:Caesar the See also:country which has since gone to See also:form Normandy was inhabited by several tribes of the Gauls, the Caleti, who lived in the See also:district of Caux, the Veliocassi, in the Vexin, the Lexovii, in the Lieuvin, the Unelli in Cotentin ; these are the only ones whose names have been preserved for us by Caesar. At the beginning of the 5th See also:century, when the Notitia provinciarum was See also:drawn up, Normandy corresponded to the Provincia Lugdunensis Secunda, the See also:chief See also:town of which was See also:Rouen (Civitas Rotomagensium) ; it included seven civitates with that of Rouen: those of See also:Bayeux (C. Bajocassium), See also:Lisieux (C. Lexoviorum), See also:Coutances (C. See also:Constantia), See also:Avranches (C. Abrincatum), Seez (C.

Sagiorum) and See also:

Evreux (C. Ebroicorum). For ecclesiastical purposes it formed the ecclesiastical province of Rouen, with six See also:suffragan See also:sees. For See also:civil purposes, the province was divided into a number of pagi: the civitas of Rouen formed the pagus Rotomagensis (Roumois), the Caletus (pays de Caux), the p. Vilcassinus (Vexin), the p. Tellaus (Talou) • that of Bayeux the pagus Bajocassinus (Bessin), and the Otlinga Saxonia; that of Lisieux the pagus Lexovinus (Lieuvin) ; that of Coutances the p. Corilensis and p. See also:Constantinus (Cotentin) ; that of Avranches the p. Abrincatinus (Avranchin) ; that of Seez the p. Oximensis (Hiemois), the p. Sagensis and p. Corbonensis (Corbonnais) ; and that of Evreux the p.

Ebroicinus (Evrecin) and p. Madriacensis (pays de Madrie). It is to the See also:

settlement of the See also:Normans in the country that Normandy owes its name; from the loth century onwards it formed a duchy, roughly coextensive with the ecclesiastical province of Rouen. Under the feudal regime, the See also:energy of the See also:Norman See also:dukes prevented the formation of many powerful lordships, and there are few worthy of See also:note, See also:save the countships of Eu, See also:Harcourt, Le See also:Perche and See also:Mortain. The duchy of Normandy, which was confiscated in 1204 by See also:King See also:Philip See also:Augustus of France, formed in the 16th century the gouvernement of Normandy; the extent of this gouvernement did not, as a See also:matter of fact, correspond exactly to that of the duchy, for Le Perche, which had been part of the duchy, was annexed to the gouvernement of Maine, while the Thimerais, which had belonged to the countship of See also:Blois, was joined to the gouvernement of Normandy. In the 17th century this gouvernement was divided into three generalites or intendances: those of Rouen, See also:Caen and See also:Alencon. For judicial purposes Normandy was under the See also:jurisdiction of the See also:parlement of Rouen, created in 1499. Since 1791 the territory of the old duchy has composed, roughly speaking, the departments of Seine-Inferieure, Eure, Calvados, See also:Manche and See also:Orne. See also:History.—The prosperity of Normandy in See also:Roman times is proved by the number and importance of the towns which existed there at that time. The most important was See also:Lillebonne (Juliobona), chief town of the Caletes, the Roman antiquities of which are famous. The evangelization of Normandy did not take See also:place before the 3rd century: the first See also:bishop of Rouen, about 26o, seems to have been St Mallonus; it is possible, however, that before this date there were a few See also:Christian communities in Normandy, as seems to be proved by the existence of St Nicasius, who was martyred in the Vexin. The province of Lugdunensis Secunda, which at the end of the 5th century formed part of the See also:kingdom of See also:Syagrius, was conquered by See also:Clovis before 5o6, and during the Merovingian times followed the fortunes of See also:Neustria.

In the 9th century this country was ravaged by the Northmen, who were constantly going up and down the Seine, and later on it was formally ceded to them. During these incursions Rouen was occupied several times, notably in 876 and 885. The definitive See also:

establishment of the Normans, to whom the country owes its name, took place in 911, when by the treaty of See also:Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, concluded between King See also:Charles the See also:Simple of France and Rolf or Rollo, chief of the Normans, the territory comprising the town of Rouen and a few pagi situated on the sea-coast was ceded to the latter; but the terms of the treaty are See also:ill-defined, and it is consequently almost impossible to find out the exact extent of this territory or to know whether Brittany was at this time made a feudal dependency of Normandy. But the chronicler See also:Dudo of Saint-Quentin's statement that Rollo married Gisela, daughter of Charles the Simple, must be considered to be legendary. In 924 Rollo received from the king of France Bessin and Maine. Although baptized, he seems to have preserved certain See also:pagan customs. The history of Normandy under Rollo and his immediate successors is very obscure, for the legendary See also:work of Dudo of Saint-Quentin is practically our only authority. Rollo died in 927, and was succeeded by his son See also:William " See also:Long See also:Sword," See also:born of his See also:union more danico with Poppa, daughter of See also:count See also:Berenger; he showed some See also:attachment to the Scandinavian See also:language, for he sent his son William to Bayeux to learn Norse. The first two dukes also displayed a certain fidelity to the Carolingian See also:dynasty of France, and in 936 William " Long-Sword " did See also:homage to See also:Louis IV. d'Outremer. He died on the 17th of See also:December 942, assassinated by the count of See also:Flanders. During the minority of his successor, See also:Duke See also:Richard, King Louis IV., who was making an expedition into Normandy, was captured by the inhabitants of Rouen and handed over to See also:Hugh the See also:Great. From this time onwards the dukes of Normandy began to enter into relations with the dukes of France; and in 958 Duke Richard married Hugh the Great's daughter.

He died in 996. At the beginning of the reign of his son, Richard II. (996-1026), there was a rising of the peasants, who formed assemblies with a view to establishing fresh See also:

laws for the management of the forests. This See also:attempt at insurrection, described by William of Jumieges, and treated by many historians, on the authority of the poet See also:Wace, as a sort of democratic See also:movement, was put down with a See also:firm See also:hand. Richard III. reigned from 1026–1027; he seems to have been poisoned by his See also:brother, See also:Robert the Magnificent, or the See also:Devil (1027–1035), who succeeded him. In 1031 Robert supported King See also:Henry I. of France against his brother Robert, who was laying claim to the See also:throne, and in return for his services received the See also:French Vexin. The duke died on a See also:pilgrimage to See also:Jerusalem, leaving as his See also:heir an illegitimate son, William, born of his union with the daughter of a See also:tanner of See also:Falaise. William was very See also:young when his See also:father started for the See also:Holy See also:Land, leaving him under the See also:protection of the king of France. In 1047 Henry I. had to defend the young duke against an See also:army of rebellious nobles, whom he succeeded in beating at Val-esdunes. In the following See also:year the king of France was in his turn supported by the duke of Normandy in his struggle against See also:Geoffrey Martel, count of See also:Anjou; the two See also:allies besieged Mouliherne (1048); and the See also:war was continued between the duke of Normandy and the count of Anjou by the See also:siege of Alencon, which was taken by Geoffrey Martel, then retaken by William, and that of See also:Domfront, which in 1049 had to surrender to Duke William. In 1054 William the See also:Bastard married See also:Matilda, daughter of See also:Baldwin V., count of Flanders, in spite of the opposition of See also:Pope See also:Leo IX., who only gave his consent on See also:condition that William and Matilda should each build an See also:abbey: under these conditions were built the Abbaye-aux-Hommes and the Abbayeaux-Dames at Caen. The king'of France had at first protected William, but before long became alarmed at his ambitions; the first sign of his feeling of rivalry with the duke was the encouragement he gave to the revolt of William Busas, count of Eu and See also:Montreuil, who claimed the ducal See also:crown.

In 1054 he invaded Normandy with his brother See also:

Odo and this count, but Odo was beaten at Mortemer. In 1058 the king of France, joined by Geoffrey Martel, count of Anjou, tried to revenge himself, but was beaten at the See also:ford of Varaville (1058). Towards the same time took place the See also:annexation of Maine to Normandy, for a See also:short See also:period only. See also:Herbert II., the young count of Maine, who was a See also:vassal of the count of Anjou, did homage to William the Bastard between 1055 and ,o6o, perhaps after the defeat of Geoffrey Martel; he promised to marry one of William's daughters, and betrothed his See also:sister See also:Margaret to the duke's son, Robert Curthose, on the understanding that, if he died leaving no See also:children, the countship was to fall to William. After his See also:death, the See also:people of Maine revolted (1063), choosing as their See also:lord See also:Walter of Mantes, count of Vexin; but William the Bastard, after one See also:campaign, succeeded in imposing the authority of Normandy. Three years later, William took See also:possession of England, of which he was crowned king in ,o66. Normandy now became the See also:scene of William's quarrels with his son, Robert Curthose, who laid claim to Normandy and Maine, and with the aid of King Philip I. of France succeeded in defeating his father at Gerberoi in 1079. William the Conqueror died on the 7th of See also:September 1087, and was buried in the See also:church of St See also:Etienne at Caen. After his death his eldest son, Robert Curthose, kept Normandy and Maine, and his second son,William See also:Rufus, became king of England. In 1091 William Rufus made a vain attcmpt to recover Normandy; but in 1096 Robert departed on a crusade and pledged the duchy to his brother for 1o,000 livres. When Robert returned, William Rufus had just died, and his youngest brother, Henry Beauclerc, had already taken possession of the crown. Henry was ambitious of uniting Normandy to England; in 1105, with the aid of Helias, count of Maine, and the son of Geoffrey Martel, count of Anjou, he took and burnt Bayeux, but failed to take Falaise.

On the 28th of September 11o6, by the help of William, count of Evreux, Robert, count of Meulan, Robert de Varenne, and Helias, count of Maine, he defeated his brother at Tinchebrai, took him prisoner, and seized Normandy. Duke Robert passed the See also:

rest of his See also:life in captivity and died in 1134. From 1106 to 1204 Normandy remained See also:united to England. According to Ordericus Vitalis, whose Historia ecclesiastica is a See also:chronicle of the greatest See also:interest for the history of Normandy in the I1th and- 12th centuries, Henry Beauclerc governed the two kingdoms wisely, checking the nobles, and protecting the Church and the See also:common people. He carried on hostilities against the king of France and William Clito, son of Robert Curthose, whose claim to the duchy of Normandy was upheld by Louis VI.. and won an important victory over his opponents at Bremule in Normandy (1119). After the disaster of the See also:White See also:Ship (1121), in which the Atheling William lost his life, Henry's only surviving See also:child was a daughter, Matilda, widow of the emperorHenry V. In 1127 Matilda married Geoffrey the See also:Fair, eldest son of See also:Fulk V., count of Anjou. After the death of Henry I. in 1135, a struggle arose between Matilda, who claimed the kingdom of England and the duchy of Normandy in the name of her son Henry See also:Plantagenet, and See also:Theobald, count of See also:Champagne, See also:grandson of William the Conqueror on the sideof his See also:mother Adela, the See also:candidate of the Normans of Normandy, while the Norman party in England supported See also:Stephen, brother of Theobald. In 1144 Theobald, whose position had been much weakened since the taking of the See also:castle of Rouen, gave up his rights in Normandy to Matilda's See also:husband Geoffrey, count of Anjou, in favour of Henry Plantagenet. Between 1139 and 1145 Geoffrey, with French and Flemish help, gradually subdued Normandy, and on his death, in 1151, his son Henry Plantagenet was See also:master of Normandy as well as count of Anjou. In 11.52, by his See also:marriage with Eleanor, duchess of See also:Aquitaine, the divorced wife of Louis VII. of France, Aquitaine also was secured to himself and his descendants. Finally, in 1153, he was recognized by -Stephen of Blois as heir to the throne of England..

The duchy of Normandy, though nominally in feudal dependence on the king of France, thus became part of the great Angevin See also:

empire, of which the See also:power and resources were more than equal to that of the French See also:kings. The perennial struggle, dating from this period, between the kings of England and France is dealt with elsewhere (see FRANCE: History, and ENGLISH HISTORY). From the first the French kings were fully conscious of the menace of the Angevin power. The reign of Louis VII. was occupied by the struggle against Henry II. In 1158 he committed the blunder of concluding a treaty with Henry, by which he was to give his daughter Margaret in marriage to Henry Short See also:Mantle, eldest son of Henry II., with the French Vexin as her See also:dowry. The Vexin was consequently the scene of hostilities in 1159 and 1165. In 1173 Louis VII., resuming the policy of his grandfather and father, took See also:advantage of the strife which See also:broke out in the See also:family of the king of England, and took the part of Henry II.'s sons who were in revolt against their father. He negotiated with Henry Short Mantle, duke of Normandy, as though he were king of England, but owing to his weakness did not gain any serious advantage. In 1173 he abandoned the siege of See also:Verneuil, in 1174 that of Rouen, and was no more successful in 1176. Philip Augustus (1180-1223) pursued the same policy with greater tenacity and success. He began by taking part against Henry II. with his son and successor, Richard Cceur de See also:Lion, who obtained the throne on the death of Henry II. in 1189. From the point of view of Normandy, the most important events of Richard's reign were: the truce of See also:Issoudun, by which Philip Augustus kept the Norman Vexin which he had just conquered (1195), the See also:building by Richard of See also:Chateau-See also:Gaillard (1196), and finally the defeat of Philip Augustus by Richard at Courcelles, near See also:Gisors (1198).

On the death of Richard at Chalus in 1199 the position of Philip Augustus was See also:

critical. This situation was modified under the reign of See also:John Lackland, Richard's brother, who had himself crowned duke of Normandy at Rouen (See also:April 25, 1199). Philip Augustus set up in opposition to him . See also:Arthur of Brittany, son of Geoffrey and grandson of Henry II., and the first phase of the struggle between the kings of France and England continued until the treaty of Goulet (1200). But in 1202 Philip made a fresh attempt to seize the See also:continental possessions of the kings of England. An excuse for reopening hostilities offered itself in the See also:abduction, by John, of See also:Isabel of See also:Angouleme, the betrothed of Hugh le Brun, son of the count of La See also:Marche. The barons appealed to Philip Augustus, who summoned John to appear before the royal See also:judges; he failed to appear, and was consequently condemned by See also:default, as a disloyal vassal, to have all the fiefs which he held in France confiscated (April 1202). The See also:confiscation, a purely legal and formal operation, was followed by the actual See also:conquest. In See also:June 1202 Philip Augustus invaded Normandy and besieged the castle of Arques, near See also:Dieppe; at the same time Arthur of Brittany was taken prisoner by John at Mirebeau in See also:Poitou, and imprisoned in the castle of Falaise, from which i.e was removed to Rouen and died, probably assassinated by John's orders. The conquest of Normandy began with the occupation of Chateau-Gaillard after an eight months' siege (September 1203—April 1204); the rest of Normandy was taken during the following months, Rouen surrendering in 1204 but obtaining a See also:guarantee of her privileges. The conquest of Normandy by the French was not, however, recognized officially till the treaty of See also:Paris (1259). Normandy enjoyed a time of See also:comparative prosperity under French See also:rule, up to the time of the See also:Hundred Years' War.

The institution of the Estates of Normandy even assured her a sort of See also:

independence. In 1329 the duchy of Normandy was revived in favour of John, son of King Philip VI. Owing to her See also:geographical position, Normandy suffered heavily during the Hundred Years' War. In 1346 See also:Edward III., at the instance of Godefroi d'Harcourt lord of Saint-Sauveur, invaded Normandy, landing at Saint-Vast-la-Hougue (See also:July 12); and arriving at Caen on the 25th of July, he laid See also:waste the country as far as See also:Poissy. After the See also:accession of John II. (1350), Normandy was again separated from the crown and given as an See also:appanage to the dauphin Charles. The treaty of See also:London (1359) stipulated for its cession to England, but the provisions of the treaty were modified by those of the treaty of Bretigny (1360), and it remained in the possession of France. John II. died in 1364, and was succeeded by his son Charles V. One of the chief feudatories of Normandy, Charles the See also:Bad, grandson of Louis X. le Hutin, and a claimant to the crown of France, was in 1365, owing to his continued treachery, deprived of the countship of See also:Longueville, and in 1378 of all his other possessions in Upper and See also:Lower Normandy. The most striking event of the war between the French and English which took place in Normandy during the reign of Charles V. was the siege of Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte, which was occupied by the English, and only surrendered after a siege of several years. The opening years of the reign of Charles VI. (1380-1422) were disturbed by a revolt which broke out at Rouen against the aides which the royal See also:government had tried to impose (1381); a See also:cloth-See also:merchant was proclaimed king of Rouen, and Charles was obliged to go in See also:person to Rouen to put down the insurrection.

In 1415 the war with England was resumed: an English army of 6o,000 men landed on the 14th of See also:

August at the mouth of the Seine, took See also:Harfleur on the 16th of September, and finally defeated the army of the king of France at See also:Agincourt. During the following years the whole of Normandy was occupied, Rouen holding out for nearly six months (July 29, 1418-See also:January 13, 1419), and Henry V. of England entrusted the See also:administration of Normandy to a See also:special See also:council. In spite of the moderation of the duke of See also:Bedford's government, Normandy, ruined by the war, was in a See also:state of great dist' See also:ess, and in the years following the treaty of See also:Troyes (1420) there was a continual resistance offered to the English. This resistance became See also:general after the expeditions of See also:Joan of Arc and the treaty of See also:Arras; at the end of 1435 the whole district of Caux, and in 1436 that of the Val de See also:Vire revolted; Mont-Saint-See also:Michel, which had never been taken by the English, continued to resist, and in See also:order to keep guard over it the English built See also:Granville. But Normandy was' not recovered by the French till after the See also:sack of See also:Fougeres (1449). Cotentin was reconquered by See also:Richmond (see ARTHUR, duke of Brittany) and the duke of Brittany; Rouen surrendered on the 29th of See also:October 1449. In See also:face of these successes of the French, an English army was sent into Normandy under the leadership of See also:Thomas Kyriel; it landed at Cherbourg and marched across Cotentin to Bayeux, but was met at Formigny (April 15, 1450) by the count of Clermont and utterly routed. Shortly after-wards Caen, and finally Cherbourg, capitulated. After the French conquest, the history of Normandy is less eventful. In 1465 Normandy was given as an appanage to Charles, brother of King Louis XI., who was deprived of it in 1467. The kings of France tried to win the support of Normandy by certain favours, such as maintaining the provincial Estates and the University of Caen, founded by the kings of England, and transforming the See also:Exchequer of Normandy into a permanent See also:court of See also:justice (1499) which was called the Parlement of Normandy and sat at Rouen in the famous Palais de T*lstice. Among the See also:measures which contributed to the increase of the prosperity of Normandy should be noted the construction in 1752 of the Havre de See also:Grace.

During the 16th century the See also:

Protestant See also:Reformation met with some success in Normandy, where the See also:Wars of See also:Religion caused a certain amount of disturbance. The Reforming movement began with See also:Pierre See also:Bar in 1528, and the first apostle of the Reformation at Rouen was See also:Francois Legay, called Boisnormand. In 1562 the town of Rouen was taken by the Calvinists, but retaken in the same year by the Catholics. Caen received the Reformed religion in 1531, and Alen9on in 1582. In the See also:massacre of Saint See also:Bartholomew's See also:day (1572) more than 500 victims were slaughtered by the Catholics. In spite of the success of Protestant ideas, however, the See also:Catholic party of the See also:League succeeded after 1588 in establishing itself in Normandy, and King Henry IV. had to conquer it by force of arms. The most famous engagements during this expedition were the victories of Henry IV. at Arques and Ivry, but he failed to take Rouen, which was defended by See also:Alexander See also:Farnese, duke of See also:Parma, and only surrendered after the See also:abjuration of the king. The history of Normandy in the 17th and 18th centuries contains few events of note, except for a few attempts at landing made by the English during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763); in 1758 the English See also:admiral See also:Anson attacked Cherbourg, and in 1759 Admiral See also:Rodney bombarded Havre. From 1790 See also:dates the creation of the departments, when Normandy ceased to have a See also:separate See also:political existence, and her history becomes one with that of France. See G. Depping, Histoire de la Normandie (2 vols., 1835) ; Fr. See also:Palgrave, The History of Normandy and of England (2 vols., 1851--1857); E.

A. See also:

Freeman, The History of the Norman Conquest of England (3rd ed., 5 vols., See also:Oxford, 1877) ; Joh. Steenstrup, See also:Les Normands (188o) ; Louis du Bois, Itineraire descriptif, historique et monumental See also:des cinq departements composant la Normandie (1828); John See also:Cotman, Architectural Antiquities of Normandy (2 vols., 182o); See also:Leopold See also:Delisle, Etude sur la condition des classes agricoles en Normandie (reprinted 1906), La Normandie illustree (2 vols., 1852—1855) ; A. See also:Duchesne, Historiae Normanorum scriptores antiqui (1619); E. J. Tardif, Les Coutumiers de Normandie (1881—1896); Edouard See also:Frere, See also:Manuel de bibliographie normande (1858—186o); Artur du Monstier, Neustria pia (1663); N. Oursel, Nouvelle Biographie normande (3 vols., 1886—1888). Publications of the learned See also:societies of the province analysed in the Bibliographie of Robert de Lasteyrie. (R.

End of Article: NORMANDY

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
NORMANBY, CONSTANTINE HENRY PHIPPS, 1ST MARQUESS OF... 		[next]
NORMANS

Site © 2006 - Net Industries