Where did the Normans originally come from?

The Normans were a people who in the 10th and 11th centuries gave their name to Normandy, a region in France. They were descended from Norse ("Norman" comes from "Norseman") raiders and pirates from Denmark, Iceland, and Norway who, under their leader Rollo, agreed to swear fealty to King Charles III of West Francia. Through generations of assimilation and mixing with the native Frankish and Roman-Gaulish populations, their descendants gradually merged with the Carolingian-based cultures of West Francia.The cultural and ethnic identity of the Normans emerged initially in the first half of the 10th century, and continued to evolve over the succeeding centuries.

The Norman dynasty had a major political, cultural, and military impact on medieval Europe. They adopted the Gallo-Romance language of the Frankish land they settled, their dialect becoming known as Norman, Normaund, or Norman French, an important literary language. The Duchy of Normandy, formed by treaty with the French crown, was a great fief of medieval France that under Richard I of Normandy became a cohesive and formidable principality. The Normans are noted both for their culture and for their significant military accomplishments.. Norman adventurers founded the Kingdom of Sicily under Roger II after conquering southern Italy from the Saracens and Byzantines. An expedition on behalf of their duke, William the Conqueror, led to the Norman conquest of England at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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33 Comments

Bill Coe

I dont see any problem with your question. They came directly from France but came originally from Denmark and Norway. "The Normans that invaded England in 1066 came from Normandy in Northern France. However, they were originally Vikings from Scandinavia. At the beginning of the tenth century, the French King, Charles the Simple, had given some land in the North of France to a Viking chief named Rollo." WIKI

Bernd Rittersporn

I accept your argument and suspect I could have phrased my quesiton better.

Jacqueline Tattam

Bernd Rittersporn, your question is fine as is. Don’t pay attention to the sour grapes comments from bad sports.

Elsy O. Stromberg

Richard D. Boyle, It was Spain.

Angel Palacios Zea

From Iceland, also.

Richard D. Boyle

They were not Normans when they came from the north. They were Vikings. They became Normans as a result of a long period of time living in Normandy. What foreign country originally settled California? Was it Mexico...or was it Spain?

Denise Currie

Interesting I always assumed the came from France.

Ed Taber

The contemporary 'Charles the simple' was married to the Beautiful Diana.

Joe Mangan

Bernd Rittersporn, full credit to you, Bernd for that acknowledgement. I have enjoyed many of your other questions and found them to be excellent.

Leda Beck

What an effort to diminish the importance of France and French culture in the very formation of the nation we today know as England! Calling it "Norman" does not help; FRENCH was the official language of England until the 17th century, when they finally gave up on pursuing their supposed right to the French crown :)

deborahroot

Boy 2 questions 2 wrong. Batting 1000.

Joe Mangan

I don't like to object to questions. I couldn't give a fiddlers' about how well or badly I score here. But in this instance I must object. The people from Norway and Denmark who invaded Western Europe were called Vikings or Danes or Norsemen. They conquered Normandy around 900 A.D. and mingled with the natives. The name Norman was applied in England and Ireland to their descendants who invaded those countries some centuries later. Any student of Irish history would know about the Vikings coming from Northern Europe. He would identify the Normans as having come to Ireland from England and Wales, having arrived in the latter countries from Normandy. In fact, those Normans, as evidenced today by surnames, consisted of Norman-English, Norman-Welsh, Norman-French and Norman-Flemish. The fact that the Normans had far from 100% Northern European blood is supported by the paucity of Norse words in Northern French dialects. The question is misleading, especially as Normandy was cited as an option.