The Normans

The Normans were Vikings. The Vikings attacked France but when Charlemagne was king of France the Viking’s attacks were unsuccessful. When Charlemagne died the Viking’s raided and raided and raided until the French gave them some land in turn for protection from other Viking’s. When other Viking’s came the Viking’s in France defended the French. After some time the Viking’s in France settled, converted to Christianity and became Normans. The first Norman king was Rollo the king after him (Richard the fearless) spent a lot of time fighting off the French but at last there was peace. And one Norman king set off on a journey to Jerulasam called a pilgrimage and died on the way back to Normandy. All he left behind was a 8year old William. It was hard for William to become king. He had many strong enemy’s the strongest was guy of burgundy he had allies to his strongest ally was a bishop a leader of a church but when the bishop died guy of burgundy took over . William fled to France and henry the king of France welcomed him and helped him by attacking Normandy with his forces after guy of burgundy died in a battle against the French William became king but he called himself duchy of Normandy. William looked over the seas toward England. He wanted to conquer England because Edward the confessor was close to death and had no heir. William was a distant cousin of Harold Godwinson the heir chosen by Edward Harold was not related to Edward at all but he was a good choice. One day Harold was in a boat and a storm blew him to the shore of Normandy and wrecked his ship there when William heard the news he was happy. What luck! he and a troop of soldiers ran to the shores to meet Harold William brought him to one of his castles and treated him kindly & gave him a feast when the feast was done William took the table cloth and reviled bones of saints he made Harold swear an oath on them swearing on bones of saints was considered sacred . The oath was to say that William was the rightful heir to throne when Edward died. Harold swear it because he was in Williams’s castle and did not want to get captive or killed. William set Harold on his way with a new ship. When Edward died Harold did not keep his promise and he was crowned king on his crowning day Haley’s comet was in view of the earth and many said that it as a bad omen because Harold did not keep his oath. Harald Hardarda of Norway attacked England and conquered a few cites he took hostages and decided to exchange his prisoners for gold so he and a few other men with no armor because it was so hot they weard skins instead when they came a bridge were they were supposed to get the gold but when they came the whole English army marched on the bridge Harald Hardada sent two riders to his ships were the rest of the army was when the riders came to the ship they called everyone to come and help fight but when they set off most took their armor off and walked there those who didn’t died because it was so hot for Viking’s
and the battle of Stamford bridge was utter defeat for Harald Hardada and he died . when the English defeated the Viking’s the Normans attacked at the south the Vikings had attacked from the north so Harold’s army had to march all the way south and when he got there his army was exhausted and camped on a hill near the Norman’s camp the William decided to attack and that was the battle of Hastings in the battle the English made a wall of swordsmen on the top of the hill and the Norman’s charged with Calvary the Norman’s were winning. When suddenly some swordsmen from the wall of swordsmen charged and destroyed a lot of the Calvary and made William fall of his horse all the Normans thought he was dead and were about to give up when William got up and said he was alive then the Normans fought stronger and at last the Normans won and Harold died after that it was easy to conquer the other cites because there was not a king and the Normans conquered England. Williams conquer of England earned him the name William the conquer .the Danes attacked Norman-England and they did not conquer anything.




The Normans in Italy


the Norman Italians were mercenaries byzantine mercenaries that attacked Italy under a byzantine general they conquered a lot of cites but when the general died the army fell apart and some Normans attacked Italy more and took it for themselves they conquered Sicily, Malta and part of north Africa the first Italy Norman king was William iron arm there greatest leader was Robert Guiscard he maintained all those lands at the same time! After him all the Italian barons revolted because a new king had power over them now a Sicilian king his name Roger. Germany and byzantine banded together and called aid from the pope in Rome he helped the anti-Norman army attack the Normans. Under Rogers control they were beat. Roger did not attack and did not do one open battle at all. He waited and waited let the summer sun, bugs and revolts in Germany and byzantine make the German byzantine army go away without them the pope was powerless he signed a peace treaty with roger and went back to Rome . Roger had defeated his enemies without bloodshed! He was a wise king but after him Norman Italy fell apart Malta and north Africa were conquered by Arabs and the barons in Italy revolted and revolted and the Byzantine ,German army attacked again and the Normans in Italy were conquered .