Duchy of Normandy

The Duchy of Normandy grew out of the 911 Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between King Charles III of West Francia and the Viking leader Rollo. The duchy was named for its inhabitants, the Normans.

Quick facts: Duchy of NormandyDuché de Normandie (Fre... ▼

Duchy of Normandy Duché de Normandie (French) Duchie de Normaundie (Norman) Ducatus Normanniae (Latin)
911–1259/1469
Heraldic flag of Normandy Coat of arms
Normandy's historical[when?] borders in the northwest of France and the Channel Islands
Status	Vassal state of the Kingdom of France
Capital	Rouen
Common languages	Latin Old Norman Old Norse (till early-mid 11th Century)
Religion	Norse religion Roman Catholicism
Duke of Normandy
• 911–927	Rollo (first)
• 1035–1087	William the Conqueror
• 1144–1150	Geoffrey Plantagenet
• 1199–1216 (1204)	John Lackland (last)
Historical era	Middle Ages
• Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte	911
• Norman conquest of England	1066
• Normandy conquered by Anjou	1144
• Continental Normandy conquered by French Crown	1204
• Treaty of Paris	1259
• Ducal ring destroyed	1469
• French nominal ducal title abolished	1790
Currency	Denier (Rouen penny)
Succeeded by 1204: Guernsey Jersey 1259 to 1469: Normandy (administrative region)
Today part of	France Normandy British Isles Guernsey Jersey

From 1066 until 1204, as a result of the Norman conquest of England, the dukes of Normandy were usually also kings of England, the only exceptions being Dukes Robert Curthose (1087–1106), Geoffrey Plantagenet (1144–1150) and Henry II (1150-1152), who became king of England in 1152.

In 1202, Philip II of France declared Normandy forfeit to him and seized it by force of arms in 1204. It remained disputed territory until the Treaty of Paris of 1259, when the English sovereign ceded his claim except for the Channel Islands; i.e., the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey, and their dependencies (including Sark).

In the Kingdom of France, the duchy was occasionally set apart as an appanage to be ruled by a member of the royal family. After 1469, however, it was permanently united to the royal domain, although the title was occasionally conferred as an honorific upon junior members of the royal family. The last French duke of Normandy in this sense was Louis-Charles, duke from 1785 to 1789.

The title "Duke of Normandy" continues to be used in an informal manner in the Channel Islands, to refer to the monarch of the United Kingdom.