Duke of Normandy
title given to the rulers of the Duchy of Normandy in northern France / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The title Duke of Normandy was given to the rulers of the duchy of Normandy.[lower-alpha 1] This fief was created in 911 by Charles the Simple King of France for Rollo, a leader of Northmen.[2] In 1066 the seventh duke, William II, became King William I of England.[lower-alpha 2] The title of Duke of Normandy was held by the Kings of England until Henry III gave up the title by treaty in 1259.[3] King John had lost mainland Normandy in 1204, and kept only the Channel Islands.[4] Today the Channel Islands are a British Crown dependency.[5]
In 1660 when King Charles II was restored to the throne, the King of France, Louis XIV, created Charles' brother James Duke of Normandy, probably as a show of support for monarchy and to stop Charles claiming the title himself.