NORMANDY (Fr. A former province of France, bordering on the English Channel. Its capital was Rouen. it is com prised in the modern departments of Seine-In ferieure. Eure, Orne, Calvados, and La Manehe. In the northeastern part of Normandy (formerly Upper Normandy) are the towns of Rouen, Dieppe, Havre, Darfienr. Ilonileur, Lisieux. Ev reux, Yvetot ; in the southern and western parts (Lower Normandy) are Caen, the chief town, Falaise, Saint-Lo, Bayeux, Coutanees, Avranehes, Granville, Alencon, and Cherbourg.
In the time of the Romans the region was in cluded in Gallia Luralancnsis 8ccunda. Under the Frankish monarchs it formed a part of Neustria, and came to he known as Normandy after Charles the Simple, in 911 (912?), had given it to Hrolf or Rollo. the leader of a band of Norse rovers (see NORMANS ) as a fief of the French Crown. From lIrolf (baptized under the name of Robert) and Gisela. the daughter of Charles the Simple, sprang the dukes of Nor mandy, of whom Richard 1. (grandson of tlrolf) vigorously maintained his authority against his liege lords, Louis IV. and Lothaire. William 11., son of Robert II., /c Diable, became Duke of Nor mandy in 1035, and in 1066 established a Nor man dynasty on the throne of England (see Wm Liam I.). thereby politically uniting Normandy
with the latter country. In 1077 his eldest son, Robert, wrested Normandy from him, but it was again united to England under Henry I. in 1106. With this monarch the direct male line became extinct. Henry II., the on of lienry l.'s daughter, Matilda, after the death of Stephen of Blois, ob tained in 1154 the government of England and Normandy; but in the reign of his son, John. Normandy was conquered by Philip Augustus of France (1202-04). it remained a portion of the French monarchy for over two centuries, save when conquered by Edward 1 i 1. in 1346; but af ter the battle of Agincourt (1415) it was recoil qnered by the English, who held it till 1449, when it was finally wrested from them by Charles V11. The Channel Islands, which were once a part of Normandy. have remained in posseskion of Eng land. Consult: Dm»oulin. ffisloire m'ne'rale dr :Vormandie (Rouen. 1631); Gonbe. Ilistoirc drt ducht' tic Normandie (Rouen and Paris, ISM ; Barthelemy. Ilistoirc tie la. Normandie ancienac et moderns (Tours, 1857).