II.

Expansion into Normandy

Soon after AD 800 the Normans, also called Norsemen or Northmen, began a series of devastating raids on river towns in northern France, establishing themselves at the mouth of the Seine and other important rivers. In 911 the French king Charles III (called Charles the Simple) appeased the invaders by giving Danish Viking leader Rollo and his warriors the land around Rouen. The region was thereafter called Normandy, a French word meaning “territory of the Northmen.” The Normans adopted the French language and customs and the Christian religion, and they pledged to defend Normandy against other Viking raiders. Although nominally subject to the French king, the Normans remained semi-independent and retained their warlike proclivities.