The Normans

The Normans

Written by Shona, Ameya and Isobel

The Normans were originally Vikings from Scandinavia.  Over time, they emigrated to the north of France.  They integrated into French life and became known as Norsemen (men from the North).  The area they controlled became known as Normandy.  Soon, they got bored of France.  William, Duke of Normandy was the head of the Normans at the time and he was related to the king of England, Edward the Confessor.  King Edward promised that when he died, William would be the king of England but also promised Harold Godwinson that he would be king.  When William found out that Edward had died and Harold was king, he was furious.  He planned an attack on England.  So, when the Saxon army was busy fighting the Vikings in the north of England, they attacked.  The Battle of Hastings began, there was blood shed and lives were lost.  In the battle, Harold was killed. William became king and became known as William the Conqueror.  When the Normans were ruling England, there was also conflict in Ireland.  Each province was fighting to get land.  Leinster was slowly losing ground and Diarmuid McMurrough (the leader of Leinster at the time) needed help to get back his territory.  So he asked the Normans to come to Ireland to help him fight back for his land.  Richard de Clare was the leader of the Normans they sent over.  His nickname was Strongbow.  He was very good at shooting arrows.  Eventually, Diarmuid McMurrough got back his land but Richard de Clare had an idea.  He didn’t have much of a role over in England so he decided he would marry Aoife McMurrough, Diarmuid’s daughter.  When Diarmuid died, Richard would be the king.  The Normans settled in to Ireland and married the Irish and since then, English and Norman people have been a part of Ireland.    Here are some interesting facts;

The Normans made shields, helmets, armour and weapons from metal.

Children drank beer from the age of 5!

Boys began training to be knights at the age of 7!

Lots of us have Norman surnames such as Roche, Lyons and Power and Anglo Saxon names like Hall and Hoare. 

Below is a video of the Bayeux Tapestry our class made.