How 'Viking' were the Normans?

by stevie_janowskii

I have several questions regarding the ethnicity/heritage of the Normans...

  1. How many Danes/Norse actually settled in Rouen and it's surrounding areas? And were they primarily the raiders that had accompanied Rollo on his raid in 911?
  2. How quickly did the original settlers intermarry with the local population? Did most attempt to move their families from either Denmark or Norway to Normandy?
  3. Regarding the relationships between the Gallo-Romans and the Scandinavians, it was more common to see a Scandinavian husband and a Gallo-Roman wife, correct? And did most Norman nobles trace their ancestry paternally?
  4. Did the Normans feel any sort of kinship with the Danes/Norse/Vikings? I had read that Richard the Good had several Viking accomplices.
  5. How long did the Scandinavian languages survive in Normandy? Did the Aristocracy make an attempt to learn Old Norse?
  6. Did the original settlers have any cultural impact on the Gallo-Romans what so ever? In other words, were there aspects of Norman life that were distinctly Scandinavian?
  7. How did neighboring states, and the general Frankish populace feel about the Normans throughout their reign? Were they really viewed as barbaric pirates, or were they respected in some circles?
  8. Is it accurate to refer to some Normans as 'Vikings'? The term Vikingr, means to go raiding, and Viking typically denotes a Scandinavian who's gone raiding. Is there an actual difference between say, the actions of Ragnar Lothbrok for example, and William Iron Arm? Technically speaking, they were both ethnic Scandinavians and they were both raiders.
  9. Did the Normans feel distinct among other Frankish/Gallo-Roman peoples? In other words, they were French first and foremost, but were they proud of their 'Viking' ancestry at all?
  10. Were there several waves of Danish and Norse settlement following the original settlement of Normandy? In other words, was it common to see Danes colonize Normandy long after 911 AD? Was there constant communication between the two 'countries' (for a lack of a better word)?
  11. How quickly did the Siculo-Normans and the Normans of the south assimilate into Italian society? Did they intermarry with the Greeks, Lombards and Muslims? And do you know of any definitive works on Norman controlled Sicily? Thanks
EyeStache

Re: N^o 8

Is it accurate to refer to some Normans as 'Vikings'? The term Vikingr, means to go raiding, and Viking typically denotes a Scandinavian who's gone raiding. Is there an actual difference between say, the actions of Ragnar Lothbrok for example, and William Iron Arm? Technically speaking, they were both ethnic Scandinavians and they were both raiders.

It wouldn't really be accurate at all; vĂ­kingr were Scandinavian pirates and naval raiders. Norman raiders were, well, Normans; if they went pirating or naval raiding, they would use whatever word it would have been in Norman. They were of a different tribal grouping, by that point.

At any rate, going a-viking had, by the 11th century, really fallen out of style; with the centralization of authority in Scandinavian kingdoms (and the unification of each kingdom), you're looking at fewer and fewer sea-kings going freebooting and ruining everyone's day in the name of plunder and more jarlar being sent to deliberately damage and disrupt other kingdoms, or plunder foreign coasts in order to bring back spoils for the kingdom. VĂ­kingar weren't plundering or looting for anyone but themselves.

Searocksandtrees