Norman Helmet
The duchy of Normandy was formed in the year 911, when the Danish Viking
Hrolf invaded the Frankish kingdom.
The king of the Franks, Charles the Simple, gave a large territory
(modern day northern France) to Hrolf in the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte.
The stipulation was that Hrolf would protect the northern shores from
further Viking invaders. Hrolf
was baptized and changed his name to Rollo in 912, and the area was settled
by former Vikings who intermarried with the local Frankish population.
The name 'Norman' comes from the Latin 'Normanni' meaning 'Northmen.'
The Normans were aggressive opportunists who spread widely across
Europe and earning a fearsome reputation in battle.
The most well known of all the Norman military exploits is the
conquest of England in 1066.
The events leading up to and including the Battle of Hastings are
meticulously embroidered in the
Bayeux Tapestry, which is
68 metres
(224 feet) long. It is unclear
who commissioned the tapestry, but most historians believe it was either
William the Conquerer's wife, Mathilda, or his half-brother Bishop Odo.
In any case, the tapestry shows many detailed examples of Norman and
English soldiers of the time, their battle tactics and formations, as well
as the weapons and defensive gear that they used.
