Who were the Normans.
A common misconception today is that the Normans were "French." Strictly speaking this is not true although it is a widely held belief and, like most beliefs, has some basis in fact.
The name "Normans" comes from the term "Norsemen" and was applied to the vikings who sailed from Scandinavia, raided the Frankish kingdom and eventually settled.
During the 8th and 9th centuries, it was very common for vikings to raid then settle in new lands, and from the Frankish point of view, it must have been easier to give them the land...<read more>...