Normandy is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy.
Normandy comprises mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular Normandy (mostly the British Channel Islands). It covers .Administrative Normandy Its population in 2017 was 3,499,280. The inhabitants of Normandy are known as Normans; the region is the historic homeland of the Norman language. Large settlements include Rouen, Caen, Le Havre and Cherbourg.
The cultural region of Normandy is roughly similar to the historical Duchy of Normandy, which includes small areas now part of the departments of Mayenne and Sarthe. The Channel Islands (French: Îles Anglo-Normandes) are also historically part of Normandy; they cover and comprise two bailiwicks: Guernsey and Jersey, which are British Crown Dependencies.
Normandy's name comes from the settlement of the territory by Vikings ("Northmen") starting in the 9th century, and confirmed by treaty in the 10th century between King Charles III of France and the Viking jarl Rollo. For almost 150 years following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, Normandy and England were linked by having the same person reign as both Duke of Normandy and King of England.
History
Normandy has been inhabited since prehistoric times, with archaeological evidence including cave art, megalithic monumentsJeannine Rouch, Mégalithes de Normandie: Pierres de légendes, OREP Edition, Caen, 2012 and extensive Bronze Age settlements. During antiquity the region formed part of Celtic Armorica and was occupied by several Gallic peoples before being conquered by the Romans by 51 BC. Under Roman rule it became part of Lugdunensis Secunda, a province whose boundaries would later influence the development of Normandy and was incorporated into the Saxon Shore. Following the collapse of Roman authority, the region passed under Frankish control and became integrated into the kingdoms of Neustria and later the Carolingian Empire.
Normandy takes its name from the Norse settlers known as Northmen who established themselves in the lower Seine valley during the 9th and early 10th centuries. In 911, the Viking leader Rollo reached an agreement with King Charles the Simple in the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, recognising his possession of territory around Rouen in return for military service and conversion to Christianity. Over the following century the Norman rulers expanded their territory, while the Scandinavian settlers gradually assimilated with the local Frankish population to create a distinct Norman identity and the Duchy of Normandy with a highly advanced French culture epitomised by the Norman monastic revival.
The duchy became one of the most influential states in medieval Europe. In 1066, Duke William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings and became King of England, creating enduring political, cultural and linguistic links across the English Channel. Norman adventurers and rulers also played major roles in the Norman conquest of southern Italy, the establishment of the Kingdom of Sicily, the Crusades and wider European expansion.
Mainland Normandy was incorporated into the French royal domain in 1204 when King Philip II of France conquered the duchy from John, King of England, although the Channel Islands remained linked to the English Crown. The region kept some of its own character signified by the rights granted in the Norman Charter of 1315, although Normandy was heavily affected by the Hundred Years' War, during which much of Normandy was occupied by England, and later by the French Wars of Religion. From the early modern period onwards Normandy contributed significantly to French maritime exploration and colonisation, producing figures such as Samuel de Champlain and other explorers active in New France.
Following the French Revolution, the historic province was divided into five departments. During the 19th century Normandy experienced industrialisation, the growth of railways and the emergence of seaside tourism. In the Second World War it became the site of the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944 and the subsequent Battle of Normandy, a decisive campaign that contributed to the liberation of France and Western Europe from Nazi Germany. Today Normandy remains one of France's principal historic regions, while the Channel Islands preserve aspects of the duchy's legacy and continue to recognise the British monarch as Duke of Normandy in a traditional and ceremonial sense.
Geography
The historical Duchy of Normandy was a formerly independent duchy occupying the lower Seine area, the Pays de Caux and the region to the west through the Pays d'Auge as far as the Cotentin Peninsula and Channel Islands.
Western Normandy belongs to the Armorican Massif, while most of the region lies in the Paris Basin. France's oldest rocks are exposed in Jobourg, on the Cotentin peninsula.Bay of Écalgrain and Bay of Cul-Rond Website Lithothèque de Normandie. The region is bounded to the north and west by the English Channel. There are granite cliffs in the west and limestone cliffs in the east. There are also long stretches of beach in the centre of the region. The bocage typical of the western areas caused problems for the invading forces in the Battle of Normandy. A notable feature of the landscape is created by the meanders of the Seine as it approaches its estuary.
The highest point is the Signal d'Écouves (417 m), in the Armorican Massif.
Normandy is sparsely forested:Normandie, Bonneton, Paris 2001 12.8% of the territory is wooded, compared to a French average of 23.6%, although the proportion varies between the departments. Eure has the most cover, at 21%, while Manche has the least, at 4%, a characteristic shared with the Channel Islands.
Sub-regions
Mainland Normandy Avranchin Bessin Bauptois Bocage virois Campagne d'Alençon Campagne d'Argentan Campagne de Caen Campagne de Falaise Campagne du Neubourg Campagne de Saint-André (or d'Évreux) Cotentin Perche Domfrontais or Passais Hiémois Lieuvin Mortainais Pays d'Auge, central Normandy, is characterized by excellent agricultural land. Pays de Bray Pays de Caux Pays d'Houlme Pays de Madrie, area between the Seine and the Eure. Pays d'Ouche Roumois et Marais-Vernier Suisse Normande (Norman Switzerland), in the south, presents hillier terrain. Val de Saire Vexin normand
Insular Normandy (Channel Islands) The bailiwick of Jersey The bailiwick of Guernsey (Fr. Bailliage de Guernesey)
The Channel Islands are considered culturally and historically a part of Normandy. However, they are British Crown Dependencies, and are not part of the modern French administrative region of Normandy.
Although the British abandoned claims to mainland Normandy and other French possessions in 1801, the monarch of the United Kingdom retains the title Duke of Normandy with respect to the Channel Islands. The Channel Islands (except for Chausey) remain Crown Dependencies of the British Crown in the present era. Thus the Loyal Toast in the Channel Islands is Le Roi, notre Duc ("The King, our Duke"). The British monarch is understood not to be the Duke with regard to mainland Normandy as described herein, by virtue of the Treaty of Paris of 1259, the abandonment of claims to France in 1801, and the belief that the rights of succession to that title are subject to Salic Law which excludes inheritance through female heirs.
Rivers
Rivers in Normandy include: the Seine and its tributaries: the Andelle the Epte the Eure the Risle the Robec And many coastal rivers: the Bresle the Couesnon, which traditionally marks the boundary between the Duchy of Brittany and the Duchy of Normandy the Dives the Orne the Sée the Sélune the Touques the Veules, the shortest French coastal river the Vire
Politics
Mainland Normandy The modern region of Normandy was created by the territorial reform of French Regions in 2014 by the merger of Lower Normandy, and Upper Normandy. The new region took effect on 1 January 2016, after the regional elections in December 2015.
The Regional Council has 102 members who are elected under a system of proportional representation. The executive consists of a president and vice-presidents. Hervé Morin from the Centre party was elected president of the council in January 2016.
Channel Islands The Channel Islands are not part of French territory, but are instead British Crown Dependencies. They are self-governing, each having its own parliament, government and legal system. The head of state of both territories is Charles III and each have an appointed Lieutenant-Governor.
The Bailiwick of Guernsey comprises three separate jurisdictions: Guernsey, Alderney and Sark. Administratively, Herm forms part of Guernsey.
Economy Much of Normandy is predominantly agricultural in character, with cattle breeding the most important sector (although in decline from the peak levels of the 1970s and 1980s). The bocage is a patchwork of small fields with high hedges, typical of western areas. Areas near the Seine (the former Upper Normandy region) contain a higher concentration of industry. Normandy is a significant cider-producing region, and also produces calvados, a distilled cider or apple brandy. Other activities of economic importance are dairy produce, flax (60% of production in France), horse breeding (including two French national stud farms), fishing, seafood, and tourism. The region contains three French nuclear power stations. There is also easy access to and from the UK using the ports of Cherbourg, Caen (Ouistreham), Le Havre and Dieppe.Houses and properties for sale . Normandy Property. Retrieved on 19 September 2014. Jersey and Guernsey are often considered to be tax havens, due to having large financial services sectors and low tax rates.
Area Year Labour force in agriculture Labour force in industry Labour force in services Upper Normandy L'état des régions françaises 2004, page 189 2003 2.30% 36.10% 61.60% Lower Normandy 2006 6.50% 25.00% 68.50% France"France in CIA factbook" 2006 2.20% 20.60% 77.20%
Area GDP (in million of Euros) (2006) Unemployment (% of the labour force) (2007) Upper Normandy 46,853 6.80% Lower Normandy 34,064 7.90% France 1,791,956 7.50%
Demographics
In January 2006 the population of French Normandy (including the part of Perche which lies inside the Orne département but excluding the Channel Islands) was estimated at 3,260,000 with an average population density of 109 inhabitants per km2, just under the French national average, but rising to 147 for Upper Normandy. The population of the Channel Islands is estimated around 174,000 (2021).
The main cities (population given from the 1999 census) are Rouen (518,316 in the metropolitan area), the capital since 2016 of the province and formerly of Upper Normandy; Caen (420,000 in the metropolitan area) and formerly the capital of Lower Normandy; Le Havre (296,773 in the metropolitan area); and Cherbourg (117,855 in the metropolitan area).
Culture
Flag The traditional provincial flag of Normandy, gules, two leopards passant or, is used in the region and its predecessors. The three-leopard version (known in the Norman language as les treis cats, "the three cats") is used by some associations and individuals, especially those who support cultural links with the Channel Islands and England. Jersey and Guernsey use three leopards in their national symbols. The leopards represents the strength and courage Normandy has towards the neighbouring provinces.
The unofficial anthem of the region is the song "Ma Normandie".
Language
The Norman language, including its insular variations Jèrriais and Guernésiais, is a regional language, spoken by a minority of the population on the continent and the islands, with a concentration in the Cotentin Peninsula in the far west (the Cotentinais dialect), and in the Pays de Caux in the East (the Cauchois dialect).