Norman Conquest Encyclopedia

At the time of William the Bastard the duchy of Normandy stretched from the River Bresle, which reaches the Channel at Le Tréport near the Picardy border, to the River Seine near Giverny, forming Upper Normandy. From there the border with the Kingdom of France ran past Dreux to the Maine border south of Alençon and then west to the river Couesnon which reaches the sea near Mont St Michel, forming Lower Normandy. In terms of present-day Départements of France, it largely, though not exactly, includes Seine-Maritime, Eure, Calvados, Orne and Manche. The principal cities were the former capital of Rouen, William's birthplace Falaise and the administrative centre of the time, Caen. The Seine provided a highway to and from the French capital of Paris, but it formed a barrier to travel across Normandy and even in 1940 had not been bridged downstream of Rouen.

See also: Caen; Falaise; Rouen; William the Bastard

Related Reading:

• Saxon Viking Norman
  (Men-at-Arms 85)