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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Normans
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(from Norsemen, or Northmen) The descendants of those *Vikings who had established themselves by the early 10C in northwest France, in the region which became known as Normandy. The close involvement of the dukes of Normandy in the affairs of England began with the reign of *Edward the Confessor. Confusion over his rightful successor provided the pretext for the Norman *Conquest and the establishment of the house of *Normandy.
A century of settled existence in France had not robbed the Normans of their Viking vigour, but they had also adopted much that they found there, including the French language, *Romanesque architecture and the well-organized system of *feudalism – all elements which later had a profound effect on English culture and development.
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