Duchy of Normandy

The Duchy of Normandy was created in 911 when the Frankish king Charles the Simple granted lands around Rouen to the Viking chieftain Rollo in exchange for his baptism and homage. The Normans rapidly assimilated Frankish culture and language while maintaining their martial traditions, transforming into one of medieval Europe's most dynamic military aristocracies. From Normandy sprang the conquest of England in 1066 under William the Conqueror and the Norman conquest of southern Italy and Sicily, which created the Kingdom of Sicily. The duchy itself was absorbed by the French crown in 1204 when Philip II Augustus conquered it from the Plantagenet King John, ending its existence as a semi-autonomous entity.

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