The Normans

Viking raids into France ravaged the countryside and led to the plundering of Paris in 845. In 910, Frankish king Charles the Simple made an alliance with a group of Vikings. The king arranged the marriage of his daughter to Rollo, the leader of the Viking raids. The king also granted the Vikings land in northwest France. These Vikings were called Normans, a name that means "men from the north" and the land they settled is still known as Normandy. Rollo and his warriors adopted Christianity and French customs, but they continued their raids into lands as far away as Italy. A descendent of Rollo named William the Conqueror and his Norman army crossed the narrow English Channel and invaded England in 1066.

For the next three hundred years, England would be ruled by kings who did not speak English. The Normans imported French-speaking craftsmen, cooks, and scholars. The modern English language reflects the high status of the French Normans and the low status of the English field hands. We refer to animals in the field by their English names (cow, ox, sheep), while food that has been prepared and brought to the table generally has French names (beef, veal, mutton).

William seized land from English nobles and forced all land owners to swear an oath of loyalty. The Normans built the imposing Tower of London to protect the capital, but the tower also served as a reminder to the English people of the power of the Normans. William completed a survey of the population, and wealth of England. The result was the "Domesday Book" of taxation. Both the Tower of London and the original Domesday Book still exist today.

The union of England and France ended in 1453, after a series of conflicts later called the "Hundred Years' War." The two separate kingdoms then became fierce rivals who strongly competed for new colonies in the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. England and France did not truly become allies until the last century, when they combined forces to defeat Germany and other nations in two World Wars.

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