26 Facts About Normans

Normans were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans.

The Normans were historically famed for their martial spirit and eventually for their Catholic piety, becoming exponents of the Catholic orthodoxy of the Romance community.

Normans are noted both for their culture, such as their unique Romanesque architecture and musical traditions, and for their significant military accomplishments and innovations.

Normans became the first Duke of Normandy and Count of Rouen.

Normans thereafter adopted the growing feudal doctrines of the rest of France, and worked them into a functional hierarchical system in both Normandy and in Norman dominated England.

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Opportunistic bands of Normans successfully established a foothold in southern Italy.

Probably as the result of returning pilgrims' stories, the Normans entered southern Italy as warriors in 1017 at the latest.

Normans promptly awarded their elected leader, William Iron Arm, with the title of count in his capital of Melfi.

The Normans left their legacy in many castles, such as William Iron Arm's citadel at Squillace, and cathedrals, such as Roger II's Cappella Palatina at Palermo, which dot the landscape and give a distinct architectural flavor to accompany its unique history.

Institutionally, the Normans combined the administrative machinery of the Byzantines, Arabs, and Lombards with their own conceptions of feudal law and order to forge a unique government.

Normans began appearing in the military confrontations between Christians and Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula since the early eleventh century.

The following year the remainder of the crusading fleet, including a substantial number of Anglo-Normans, was invited by the count of Barcelona, Ramon Berenguer IV, to participate in the siege of Tortosa .

Again the Normans were rewarded with lands in the newly conquered frontier city.

Some Normans joined Turkish forces to aid in the destruction of the Armenian vassal-states of Sassoun and Taron in far eastern Anatolia.

The Raoulii were descended from an Italo-Norman named Raoul, the Petraliphae were descended from a Pierre d'Aulps, and that group of Albanian clans known as the Maniakates were descended from Normans who served under George Maniaces in the Sicilian expedition of 1038.

The Normans were now free to penetrate into the hinterland; they took Ioannina and some minor cities in southwestern Macedonia and Thessaly before appearing at the gates of Thessalonica.

Normans's stay in Normandy influenced him and his sons by Emma, who stayed in Normandy after Cnut the Great's conquest of the isle.

Normans brought many Norman counsellors and fighters, some of whom established an English cavalry force.

Normans had a profound effect on Irish culture and history after their invasion at Bannow Bay in 1169.

The Normans settled mostly in an area in the east of Ireland, later known as the Pale, and built many fine castles and settlements, including Trim Castle and Dublin Castle.

Normans went into Scotland, building castles and founding noble families that would provide some future kings, such as Robert the Bruce, as well as founding a considerable number of the Scottish clans.

Legendary religious zeal of the Normans was exercised in religious wars long before the First Crusade carved out a Norman principality in Antioch.

Later a group of Normans led by certain William participated in the failed siege of Tudela of 1087.

Normans ordered Isaac to release the prisoners and the treasure.

Normans's exploit was well publicized and contributed to his reputation; he derived significant financial gains from the conquest of the island.

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In southern Italy, the Normans incorporated elements of Islamic, Lombard, and Byzantine building techniques into their own, initiating a unique style known as Norman-Arab architecture within the Kingdom of Sicily.