Norman Conquest Encyclopedia

The Normans regarded themselves as a distinct people, separate from the French and only distantly related to their Viking ancestors. In about 911 AD. Charles the Simple recognised Rolf, known to the French as Rollo, as the legitimate ruler of Neustria and the former Viking raider accepted baptism by the archbishop of Rouen. The ancestor of Duke Robert the Magnificent and of William the Bastard was now established in the lower Seine valley between Les Andelys and Vernon and by 933 the Norman territory had been pushed as far west as Mont St Michel. From this base the Normans were to extend their power to Sicily in the south and to England in the north with profound effects on the history of Europe.

See also: Duke Robert the Magnificent; Rouen; Viking; William the Bastard

Related Reading:

• Norman Knight AD 950-1204
  (Warrior 1)
• The Normans
  (Elite 9)
• Saxon Viking Norman
  (Men-at-Arms 85)