Duke of Normandy
The
Duke of Normandy is a
title held (or claimed) by various
Norman,
English,
French and
British rulers from the
10th century. Its origin comes from the year 911.
The
fief of Normandy itself was founded in
911 for the
Viking leader
Rollo. Modern research estimates that probably he was created a
count, according to Werner, probably with traditional duties of a Carolingian count: protection and administration of justice, as vassal of the king of West Franks. Some later medieval sources have called also him as dux, like many his later successors have been.
As his predecessors were styled
jarl (earl) of the Northmen (
Normans),
Richard II was the first to be styled
duke of Normandy (the ducal title established between 987-1006). In
1066, William the Conqueror added the kingdom of
England to his realm, through the
Norman Conquest.
In
1204, during the reign of
King John, mainland Normandy was taken from
England by
France under King
Philip II while insular Normandy (the British
Channel Islands) remained (and remains ceremonially today) under the English Duke of Normandy. Thus the
Loyal Toast in the Channel Islands is given as
La Reine, notre Duc (the Queen, our Duke).
Under the
Treaty of Paris (1259),
Henry III of England recognised the legality of French possession of Normandy. English monarchs, and their British successors, continued (and continue) to use the title "Duke of Normandy" in reference to insular Normandy (the Channel Islands). English monarchs made subsequent attempts to reclaim their former continental possessions, particularly during the
Hundred Years' War. From
Henry V, by the
Treaty of Troyes of 1420, until
George III in 1801, English and British monarchs claimed the throne of France itself, and included "King of France" at the top of their list of titles.
On several occasions, the Duchy was given out as an
appanage for a member of the French royal family, most notably by
Philip VI for his eldest son, the future King
John II; by John II for his son, the future
Charles V, who was, however, usually known as the
Dauphin; and by
Louis XI for his brother Charles, usually known by his other title of
Duc de Berri.
Interestingly, the future
James VII & II of Scotland, England and Ireland, was created "Duke of Normandy" by King
Louis XIV of France on December 31, 1660. This was a few months after James's brother,
Charles II, had been restored to the throne in England and Ireland. (Charles had already been crowned in Scotland, in 1651.) Since Charles would have already claimed the title "Duke of Normandy" - indeed, it was
in insular Normandy, specifically in
Jersey, that he was first proclaimed king, in 1649 - the French king's giving the same title to James, in respect of mainland Normandy, was undoubtedly a political gesture.
The future
Louis XVII was also known as Duke of Normandy before his elder brother's death in
1789.
*
Rollo 911-
927*
William Longsword 927-
942*
Richard I 942-
996*
Richard II, the Good,
996-
1027*
Richard III,
1027-
1028*
Robert the Magnificent (Robert the Devil),
1028-
1035*
William the Conqueror 1035-
1087*
Robert Curthose 1087-
1106*
Henry Beauclerk 1106-
1135*
Stephen 1135-
1144*
Geoffrey Plantagenet 1144-
1150*
Henry II 1150-
1189*
Richard Coeur de Lion (Richard Lionheart) 1189-
1199*
John 1199-
1216 (possession of mainland Normandy lost,
1204)
Henry III 1216-1259 (signed
Treaty of Paris (1259) recognising French control of mainland Normandy; subsequently English and British monarchs have borne the title "Duke of Normandy" only as it pertains to the Channel Islands and English/British constitutional history)
Dukes of Normandy were one of the most important princes in medieval France, both when the duchy was their main holding (911-1066) and when they were holders of other yet more remarkable holdings, such as kings of England (1066-1204).
In male line, they were (as far as to Empress Maud) descended from
Ragnvald Eysteinsson,
Earl of More in Norway. Dukes of Normandy set a weight in their family tradition to legends that their male-line ancestry thus is the
ancient kings of Finland.
*Onslow, Richard (Earl of Onslow).
The Dukes of Normandy and Their Origin. London: Hutchinson & Co., 1945.
*
Normandy
