Knights played an important role in the Middle Ages. How knights looked and how they operated varied depending on the time period and country or region. In this series of blogs, we want to give you an idea of the equipment of a number of different knights. For this blog, we've put together an impression of the Norman with the products we offer.
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The Origins of the Normans
The tenth century was the time when the Vikings invaded Europe for plunder, trade, and conquest. One of those Vikings was Rollo, who had settled with a group of followers in France, then still the Frankish Kingdom. In 911, Rollo reached an agreement with the French king Charles the Simple.
Rollo received a piece of land and became the first Duke of Normandy. In return, he would protect France against raids by other Vikings. This territory was quickly expanded through conquests. To prevent the recovery of these territories, the seafaring warriors had to quickly learn to fight strategically on land. In just one or two generations, the Vikings successfully formed an army on horseback and were able to build motte castles at a rapid pace.
Rollo's followers mixed with the local population from West Francia, and this gave rise to a new population group that descended from both the Vikings and the pious French, the Normans. By the end of 996 AD, the Normans had not only converted to Christianity. They had also adopted the French language and laws.
Conquests
In medieval Norman law, which was strongly influenced by the feudal system, there were laws concerning inheritance. The inheritance position of the second son (and other younger sons) was often unfavorable compared to the firstborn. Primogeniture was a common inheritance system in Normandy, whereby the eldest son was given preference in succession. This meant that the eldest son inherited the largest part, or even all, of the family estate to maintain family unity and power. As a result, younger sons were often excluded from the main inheritance. From an early age, Norman boys were therefore taught how they had to wage war in order to conquer land for themselves. This caused this mixed population to spread out to all corners of the map.
In the 11th and 12th centuries, the Normans made a significant mark on large parts of Europe. One of their most famous conquests is that of England. Under the leadership of William I, or William the Bastard, the Battle of Hastings was won in 1066 and England was conquered. This gave William I a new name, William the Conqueror.
The result of the Battle of Hastings brought major changes to England, from the many fortifications and castles the country is known for, the introduction of a feudal system to the language.
Normans in South Italy and Sicily
Opportunistic Normans successfully settled in South Italy, attracted by stories from pilgrims. In 1017, they arrived as warriors, according to Amatus of Montecassino and William of Apulia. Pilgrims returning from Jerusalem helped Prince Guaimar III against a Muslim attack in Salerno, while another group, spurred on by Melus of Bari, fought against the Byzantines. Two prominent Norman families, the Hautevilles and Drengots, played a key role. They founded the County of Ariano and later, in 1030, Rainulf Drengot received the County of Aversa. Eventually, the Normans conquered Sicily and Malta, with Robert Guiscard and Roger the Great Count at the helm. Roger II became King of Sicily in 1130, a kingdom that lasted until 1194 and was known for its cultural and religious diversity and unique architecture. The Normans combined administrative elements from the Byzantines, Arabs, and Lombards with their own feudal system, resulting in a harmonious society with a diverse bureaucracy.
Normans in North Africa
The Norman rulers harbored plans to establish an empire that would have included both Fatimid Egypt and the Crusader states in Egypt and the Levant.
Between 1135 and 1160, the Norman kingdom of Sicily conquered various coastal cities in Ifriqiya, which corresponds to present-day Tunisia and parts of Algeria and Libya. These cities were held as vassals by the Normans but were eventually lost to the Almohads.
Normans on the Iberian Peninsula
Since the beginning of the eleventh century, the Normans took part in military confrontations between Christians and Muslims on the Iberian Peninsula. The first known Norman warrior was Roger I of Tosny, who around 1018 helped the people of Barcelona in raids against the Andalusian Muslims. Later, Norman adventurers such as Robert Crispin and Walter Giffard took part in the papal-organized siege of Barbastro in 1064. Even after the Norman conquest of England in 1066, they remained active on the peninsula. In the 1120s, Rotrou II of Perche and Robert Burdet led raids in the Ebro region, with Burdet gaining a semi-independent principality in Tarragona in 1129.
With the increasing popularity of the sea route to the Holy Land, Norman and Anglo-Norman Crusaders were encouraged by Iberian prelates to participate in Portuguese raids. In 1142, King Afonso I Henriques invited a Crusader fleet to conquer Lisbon, which failed. In 1147, another group of Crusaders arrived and succeeded in conquering the city, after which many settled there. In 1148, a fleet, including many Anglo-Normans, took part in the siege of Tortosa, where they were rewarded with land in the newly conquered city.
Normans in England
The Normans had early contact with England, partly through continued Viking raids and through their control of important ports across the English Channel. This relationship was strengthened by the marriage of Emma, the sister of Duke Richard II of Normandy, to King Ethelred II of England. When Ethelred was driven from England in 1013 by Sweyn Forkbeard, he sought refuge in Normandy. This stay influenced him and his sons, particularly Edward the Confessor, who returned to England in 1041 with Norman advisors and fighters.
Edward's preference for Norman influences led to the appointment of Robert of Jumièges as Archbishop of Canterbury and Ralph as Earl of Hereford. The decisive Norman invasion came in 1066, however, when William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings, which led to the conquest of England. Norman nobility largely replaced the Anglo-Saxon ruling class and established a culture that owned land on both sides of the Channel. The early Norman kings of England, as Dukes of Normandy, remained subject to the King of France for their continental possessions.
Over time, the Normans merged with the English population, combining languages and traditions. Marjorie Chibnall noted that the terms "Norman" and "English" changed in meaning after 1066. During the Hundred Years' War, Norman aristocracy often identified as English. The Anglo-Norman language distinguished itself from Parisian French and eventually influenced the development of Middle English, which formed the basis for modern English.
Normans in Ireland
The Normans had a profound influence on Irish culture and history after their invasion at Bannow Bay in 1169. Initially, the Normans maintained a separate culture and ethnicity. Yet over time, they became absorbed into Irish culture, to the point that it was said they became "more Irish than the Irish themselves". The Normans settled primarily in an area in eastern Ireland, later known as the Pale, and also built many beautiful castles and settlements, including Trim Castle and Dublin Castle. The cultures mixed and borrowed from each other's language, culture, and worldview.
Normans in Scotland
One of the English claimants to the throne who opposed William the Conqueror, Edgar Atheling, eventually fled to Scotland. King Malcolm III of Scotland married Edgar's sister Margaret and thereby came into conflict with William, who had already previously disputed the southern borders of Scotland. In 1072, William invaded Scotland, reached Abernethy, and met his fleet. Malcolm submitted, paid homage to William, and gave his son Duncan as a hostage, which led to discussions about the loyalty of the Scottish crown to the English king.
The Normans settled in Scotland, built castles, and established noble families that produced future kings, such as Robert the Bruce, and various Scottish clans. King David I of Scotland, whose brother Alexander I married Sybilla of Normandy, played a crucial role in introducing Norman culture to Scotland, a process known as the 'Davidian Revolution'. After spending time at the court of Henry I of England and needing to secure his kingdom against his half-brother Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair, David rewarded many Normans with land. This process continued under his successors, particularly under William the Lion.
The Norman feudal system was introduced to varying degrees across Scotland. Many Scottish families such as Bruce, Gray, Ramsay, Fraser, Rose, Ogilvie, Montgomery, Sinclair, Pollock, Burnard, Douglas, and Gordon, as well as the later royal house of Stewart, all have Norman ancestors.
Normans in Wales
Even before the Norman conquest of England, the Normans had contact with Wales. Edward the Confessor appointed Ralph as Earl of Hereford and tasked him with defending the Marches and waging war against the Welsh. In these early endeavors, however, the Normans made no headway in Wales.
After the conquest, the Marches came under the control of William's most trusted Norman barons, such as Bernard de Neufmarché, Roger of Montgomery in Shropshire, and Hugh Lupus in Cheshire. These Normans began a long, gradual conquest of Wales, with almost all of Wales at some point dealing with Norman interference. Norman influences, such as the word "baron" (barwn), were first introduced into Welsh at that time.
The Success of the Normans
The Normans are seen as possibly the best warriors of the Middle Ages in Europe. But how did they become so successful?
In Norman culture, it was customary for boys of noble birth to be trained to become knights from an early age. At the age of ten, they were probably already being initiated, and from their twelfth or thirteenth year, real training began. One of the most important things they had to learn was horsemanship. The success of the Normans came largely from their use of cavalry. This was unheard of at that time in England, and at the Battle of Hastings, the English soldiers on foot were no match for the Norman knights on horseback.
The combination of their good training and skill on horseback made the Normans almost unbeatable.
Their equipment was also adapted to the fact that they fought on horseback. The Normans wore long chainmail shirts with a split in the front and back, so they could sit more easily on their horses. Their shields were wide at the top but tapered to a point at the bottom, so the shields protected the knights but did not hinder the horses' movement.
Both Normans and Saxons fought with swords, but the Normans also carried long spears that were called lances. These lances were thrust between the shields of the Saxons and in some cases thrown. These lances formed an ideal combination with the power and speed of the horse.
William the Conqueror also had a large number of archers in his ranks. These archers were trained to shoot upward, so their arrows would come down behind the shields of the Saxons.
Norman Culture and Knights
The Normans distinguished themselves through their loyalty and willingness to draw weapons for it. Besides warfare, the Normans had an advanced legal system. The Normans are also known for their musical tradition and, of course, the Romanesque art style. With
