KNIGHT XII CENTURY

In the Polish historiographic tradition, the Normans are used to refer to the rather distantly Romanized Vikings inhabiting the areas of today's northern France in the 10th-11th centuries, namely the land called Normandy. The first Viking invasions of the Vikings into the areas of Normandy took place at the turn of the 8th and 9th centuries, and in 841 they managed to completely sack Rouen - the capital of this land. After 850, the Vikings settled in Normandy sometimes for several years, which they treated as a kind of base for further plundering expeditions. In 911, however, the West French king, Karol Prostak, gave the areas of today's Normandy as a fief to the Vikings. Thus, the Duchy of Normandy was established. It is quite commonly assumed that over the course of the 10th and 11th centuries, the influx of Vikings quite quickly adopted the Christian religion and to a very large extent "assimilated" with the indigenous peoples, probably adopting its language as their own. It is worth remembering that the military of the Duchy of Normandy in the 10th-11th centuries (especially the 11th century) largely resembled the solutions used in the then Kingdom of France. As specific "distinguishing features" of a Norman warrior's armament, one can first of all indicate a Normandy type helmet, i.e. a relatively simple head with a nose and a kite-shaped shield. It is also worth remembering that the Normans (especially the knights of the Duke of Normandy) carried out many successful military expeditions, among which the conquest of England by William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings in 1066 or the capture of Sicily and a large part of southern Italy by Robert Guiscard deserve special attention. in the second half of the 11th century.