Normans are ... History and culture of the Normans. The Norman State

Normans - this is one of the names of northern peoples. So the inhabitants of Central and Southern Europe in the VIII-XI centuries called the units of ferocious warriors who had come from cold countries. The raids were regular, the units turned into armies, and as a result, the map of Europe was redrawn.

Numerous synonyms

Disappeared from the face of the Earth huge empire of the Franks, created by the representative of the Carolingian dynasty, Charlemagne. Was captured England. The Spaniards, to whose country the bandits also reached, called them pagan monsters - madhauses, putting in the name all the horror before them. The English called them ascemans, that is, floating on boats of strong ash. In Ancient Russia they were called Varangians. They are known also under the name "Vikings" (later it was proved that the term "Viking" called the Normans a sea expedition). We can say that the Normans are conquerors, as the Frankish poet said, "brave to superfluity." Thanks to the audacity, fearlessness, and agility of the warriors, their raids were always successful, but they were cruel. The glory of them stretched far away - they were afraid of all the European rulers, but they also dreamed of having them in their service.

Warriors from generation to generation

Normans were born warriors. Not only the harsh nature and living conditions on the shores of the northern seas made them so. The religion and laws of the country were, in fact, militaristic. In the happy afterlife, where they will always please the Valkyries, only warriors who glorified themselves in battle fell. Even a wounded and dying fighter could not leave the battlefield and had to kill the enemies until his last breath. And then behind him was Odin himself (the supreme deity) and led him to the fairy-tale heavenly country Volhall for eternal bliss. Normans are people who do not know pity for either enemies or themselves. Their laws were strikingly cruel. For one of them, the frail elderly and defective children (even with minor deviations) were killed. Norms of their lives have evolved over the centuries.

Causes of raids

The meager nature, which prevented them from growing the necessary amount of food, forced them to abuse their relatives, determined the need for raids on nearby fertile and rich territories that were located in both the south and east and west. The conquerors also did not disdain the lifeless northern territories, they actively settled them, forming their colonies there. The rich lands were beyond the seas, and the water spaces became the second home for the Normans. They had excellent vessels, stable and hardy. The warriors were also rowers, they were not at all afraid of the sea and swam away deep into the depths. Long before Columbus, they discovered America, true, the North.

Discipline and subordination

Normans are magnificent sailors who walked beautifully on oars, and under sail, in the wind and against it. Beautiful warriors and nothing fearful pioneers, fear of which reached the most remote corners of Europe, were surrounded by legends. The most talented, brave and ruthless warriors became barseks, who were considered werewolves. They were invincible. In the army strict discipline was observed, unconditional submission of rank-and-file soldiers to the senior in rank, there was a code of honor. They had a stubbornness in achieving the goal and coolness, which does not allow to turn off the intended path. The character was "Nordic, seasoned". Most importantly, they had the ultimate goal - to create their own rich state, and all methods for that were good. But over time they changed.

The beginning of a broad expansion

The history of the Normans (and there is documentary evidence of this) dates back to 789. Three ships docked on the shores of England, on which were the Danes from Harland, subjects of King Beotrick. And after the devastation of the monastery of the island of Lindisfarne, which came after 4 years and was widely publicized, until the end of the century, several more raids were undertaken. After this, a 40-year relative calm ensued. But in 835, with the destruction of Sheppy - an English island off the coast of the county of Kent, it all began. The annual devastating campaigns of the Normans followed the shores of the neighboring European states. On some English islands, the Vikings, who undertook hikes mostly in the spring and summer, were wintering.

Goals were achieved

Anglo-Saxons called them pagans, or northern people. The name of the Norman was given to them by the Franks. In the years 855-856, a huge army of pagans landed on the shore of East Anglia for good. But fully conquered England was only in 1066 by the Duke of Normandy (northern region of France) Wilhelm, who is known in history as the Conqueror. That is, at first the Normans raided northern France, and even Paris, they founded their state on the territory of the Frankish Empire that collapsed under their blows, and from there they attacked England. The history of the Normans with accession to the English and Sicilian throne, in general, ends. And they were called then Normans. The raids ended, because the soldiers became ploughmen. They now had a fertile land, and it was possible to secure a decent life without resorting to arms.

Born to win

Conquest of the Normans stretched for three centuries. As a result, parts of Ireland and Scotland were conquered in the 9th century. Constant attempts to conquer England led to the fact that in the 9th-10th centuries the Normans occupied the northern, eastern and central parts of the country. And called the conquered territory of Danelare ("The area of Danish law").

They made raids on Frisia - the coastal area between present-day Denmark and the Netherlands. Conquest of the Normans extended not only to Spain and Portugal. In 859, a large flotilla consisting of more than 60 ships, to the brim full of looted in Spain, arrived to the shores of North Africa. Since 844, raids on Spain were regular, for a time they even managed to capture Seville.

Any territory was accessible to them

During all their campaigns the Norman Vikings adapted very successfully to the environment and assimilated with the local population. In southern Italy, they penetrated at the beginning of the XI century, and by 1071 it was all under the rule of the Normans.

A very important role went to Vikings in the Crusades. They actively participated in the creation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. On the rivers Volkhov, Lovat, Dnieper and Volga, the Norman Vikings reached the Black Sea and approached the shores of the Byzantine Empire. Some of them, engaged in trade, along the Volga and the Caspian Sea, reached Baghdad. Not only warm lands attracted the Normans. The famous Viking Eric the Red in 985 founded a colony in Greenland, which, despite a very severe climate and difficult living conditions, lasted 400 years. The famous leader of the settlers is dedicated to the sagas, in which it is stated that one of the sons of Erik the Red has visited North America about 1000 years ago.

Raid - not an end in itself

For the Vikings, especially in the X-XI centuries, the raids were not an end in themselves. In many areas they settled, forming states, regions, colonies. Part settled in Scotland, part of Southern Italy. The Norman state was created in Sicily, in France, in England. Somewhere the result was achieved by direct capture of the country and the overthrow of the legitimate monarch, as in England. The troops of the last king of the Anglo-Saxons Harold Godwinson were defeated at Hastings. The throne goes to the conqueror William the Conqueror. In the county of Aversa, the first Norman state arose in Southern Italy. He was followed by Melphy and Solerno, Calabria, Apulia and Naples. Later, all these formations were merged into the Sicilian kingdom. As a rule, first the Vikings entered the service of the local nobility, and then overthrew them.

The emergence of Normandy

It should be noted that the Normans had a managerial genius. They did not destroy the previous structures of power, they took all the best from what had been achieved. The remarkable ability of the Vikings to adapt the already formed legal and cultural institutions to their own needs is noted. They respected the customs and achievements of the vanquished peoples. The Norman state in France, called Normandy, began with the occupation of these lands in the 9th century by Norwegian and Danish Vikings. They were governed by the Khrolf Pedestrian, named so because no horse could carry his huge body, and he had to move on foot. Normans forced Charles III Rustic to recognize the land at the mouth of the Seine as their property. Hrolf recognized himself as a vassal of Charles, married his daughter and adopted the Christian name Rollon. The Normans who came with him accepted Christianity and willingly mingled with the local population. Taking all the best from feudal France, the Normans created a good state structure of power both in Normandy, and in England and Sicily.

Revived popularity

The meaning of the word "Norman" is the simplest. It is translated from Scandinavian northman literally - "northern man". As already noted, these peoples, who lived in Scandinavia, gained wide popularity due to wide expansion in the 8th-11th centuries. The Normans combined warriors, seamen, merchants, discoverers and travelers. Naturally, the great people had their own traditions, religion, literature. The culture of the Normans is a branch of ancient German culture. Impressions of numerous campaigns were passed from mouth to mouth, sagas were composed. In particular honor were poets, called skalds. The religion of the Vikings, imprinted in myths, has brought to our days the names of the pagan gods - the chief deity of Odin and 12 more - Thor, Loki, Bragi, Heimndall and others. There were also 4 goddesses - Frigga, Freya, Idun, Sif. Mythology was formed from the fifth century until the adoption of Christianity. Written in verse "Elder Edda" and prosaic "Younger Edda" - the main sources of Scandinavian mythology. Throughout the territory where the Normans lived or traveled their way, till our times stele, rugged by runic signs, archeologists have found ornaments and talismans. Everything that concerns the Normans, has generated today a powerful pop culture - hundreds of video games, cartoons, popular novels.

Another name

Natives of Scandinavia had many names, in each country they were called differently - they were given the name "Varangians" in Russia. The Normans, who came to Russia from the north, were hired to serve Russian princes who were willing to become related to them, as the blood of Rurik himself, who founded the Novgorod principality in the 9th century, flowed in his veins . He was the founder of the princely family, which later became the first Russian royal dynasty. Normans in Russia have always been personified with mighty, invincible warriors. Therefore, the warship was given the name "Varangian", and the words of the song, glorifying courage and loyalty to the Motherland, are known by many today.