Normans are fascinating to me. Viking warriors from the north who forcibly settled in French lands, quickly adopting the local language and religion, yet retaining their own distinct identity. They soon became famed as fierce but brave warriors who conquered England, Southern Italy, and even set up Crusader States in the Levant of all places.
Where do I go for more information about Norman culture and history? I specifically want to study the process of cultural change that the Normans went within a few generations from being pagan Norse-speaking warriors to Christian French-speaking knights. Also, why were the Normans, who were famous and feared in the early Middle Ages, not much heard of during the Hundred Years' war between France and England and thereafter? Was there a specific event that caused the decline of Norman power and prestige?
Thanks in advance.
I'm sure others will have books to add (especially /u/rittermeister) but here is a small selection of books I'd recommend:
England and Normandy
Bates, D., The Normans and Empire, (Oxford, 2013).
Carpenter, D.A., The Struggle for Mastery: The Penguin History of Britain, 1066-1284, (London, 2004).
Crouch, D., The Normans: The History of a Dynasty, (London, 2002).
Garnett, G., The Norman Conquest: A Very Short Introduction, (Oxford, 2009).
White, G.J., Restoration and Reform, 1153-1165: Recovery from Civil War in England, (Cambridge, 2000).
If you have access to a library and are capable of dealing with research articles rather than books, then Anglo-Norman Studies: Proceedings of the Battle Conference (Woodbridge) is a fantastic journal which should be available from most good university libraries with a medieval history department.
That should be enough to get you started, I'd recommend beginning either with Carpenter's Struggle as it's an excellent overview of British history in the stated period, or with Crouch's The Normans as it traces their history from when they became counts of Rouen in the early eleventh-century. I have not come across any secondary material which solely examines their origins, largely because it doesn't interest me, but I'm sure if you search the bibliographies of Crouch, Bates, or Carpenter you'll find something.
Here is a bibliography for the Normans in Italy and Sciliy.
I have nothing to offer on the Normans in the Latin East. Again, check bibliographies to find material.
Also, what are good sources on their mythology and legends?
hi! you'll find some more info and source recommendations in this recent post