Norman History and Knights

We discuss how Vikings founded the Duchy of Normandy which came to rule England and developed a cavalry force known across Europe. The Normans and their Knights will be an invasion force that appears in the late game of Total War Sage: Thrones of Britannia.

Documentary Credits:
Research: Invicta
Script: Invicta
Artwork: Osprey Publishing
Game: Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia
Editing: Invicta
Music: Dreamnote Music

Literary Sources
-Viking Hersir 793–1066 AD by Mark Harrison (Osprey Publishing)
-Saxon, Viking and Norman by Terence Wise (Osprey Publishing)

[elfarlaur]

The reason the Normans got cavalry is because the French had cavalry already. Vikings did not supplant the original Normans. Yes there was a migration but the vast majority of the population remained French. A knightly tradition was already present for the Norse nobility to adopt.

[crimsonminotaur]

Thanks for sharing this. I recently found out that I've descended from Normans. I originally thought I was part Irish, then I found out I'm part French, British, Irish, and even Finnish. And that my mother's maiden name, Lynch, is from a Hiberno-Norman family in Galway, Ireland. So I like this very much. Thanks again!

[robertoprestigiacomo]

I'm from Sicily and moved to Denmark. I guess it was a call from my Viking Mother Land, LOL

[tadejpogacharo]

What you forgot to talk about is the fact that the rulers were from vikings descent, but most of their army was composed of "ethnic" french from normandy, that's how they adapted so fast their military ( cavalry etc...)

[ivanstrydom]

You are by far the best Historical sight on youtube. No Propaganda. Brilliant work sir.

[scottwalraven]

This video is perfectly timed! Reading Jack Ludlow’s “Warriors” right now, awesome video man.

[Narjoso]

I quote Cambridge Medieval History: By the end of the reign of Richard I (year 996) the descendants of the original Norse settlers had become not only Christians but in all essentials Frenchmen. They had adopted the French language, French legal ideas, and French social customs, and had practically become merged with the Frankish orGallic population among whom they lived. (…)

[thecrusaderhistorian]

Wow! Normans are awesome! Thank you for the video!

[gillianbarth]

Really, really great job! I really enjoyed this and learned some great nuggets. Researching my Lownd(e)s family from England who purportedly were originally William the Conquerer Normans. Head buried in books on subject but this was a great summary. Very interesting. Please do more!

[ChrisCVW]

I started writing out about their inheritance practices and then you got to it! Really comes out as one of their key sources of strength driving both their stability and their expansionism.

[firstcenturion]

Awesome, video. I'm a history teacher and a avid gamer. I love the your use of total war games, and historical maps. Wish I had the time and aptitude to make videos like these. I'm definitely going to be using it in my classroom.

[Martz]

I love the Normans, can't wait for this!

[aftermathgoogle]

Holy shit dude, you are straight to the point. Extremely educational

[JimBCameron]

Ye, really like this format as it offers the opportunity to understand certain archetypes that'd present themselves behind the development of various factions throughout history and how they developed in the way they did thanks to the emergent qualities of their culture. :)

[vikingbear]

great stuff - I heard the Norman knights were using stirrups when no one else they fought were. The stirrup gave power to their charge which made them feared throughout Europe.

[vainwarlord]

A quick note:
Not sure about the normans specifically, but in general the scandinavian aproach to inheritance was not neccessarily Patrelinear Primogeniture (the practice of having the oldest son always inherit the entire estate), but rather a less law-bound "free" system in which the family patriarch could distribute the inheritance as he wished among his offspring (even amongst "ätteledda" adopted children). It is true that the most common result of this system was that the oldest son was the most likely to gain the whole estate, not in small part due to the dificulty with dividing single-household estates before the medieval "tegskifte" (have no good translation for this, but essentially the large agricultural shift in Europe from single household-farming to village collectives with communal grounds and advanced crop rotation system).
There are several documented cases in which family patriarchs divides his estate, or gives it solely to a woman, even though this was again, pretty uncommon.

[jollyrancherszn]

I love this format!!! Please do more videos like this. Cheers from canada

[FirstLast_Nba]

That was very informative for such a short video, well done.

[brianfuller]

Normans were a combination of French already there (Normandy) and the Vikings. Their culture and the formidable military reputation reflects both influences. An important fact was that Normans had considerable automomy. My mum was Norman and she would speak of both influences. In 1204 France under Philip II would conquer Normandy and many Normans not already in England went. They essentially became English or French.

[spottyskunk]

Norman inheritance and the effect it played on the children of nobility sort of sets the mold for some medieval stereotypes like "You have 3 sons - the first to follow you, the second to follow the wars, and the third to follow the monks".