St Edward the Confessor or "Eadweard III" (c. 1004-5 January 1066), son of Ethelred the Unready, was the penultimate Anglo-Saxon King of England and the last of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 until his death. His reign marked the continuing disintegration of royal power in England and the aggrandisement of the great territorial earls, and it foreshadowed the country's later connection with Normandy, …

The Battle of Hastings was the decisive Norman victory in the Norman conquest of England. The location was a hill approximately six miles north of Hastings, on which an abbey was subsequently erected. The battle took place on October 14, 1066, between the Norman army of Duke William of Normandy, and the Saxon army led by King Harold II. Harold was killed in the battle; traditionally, it is believed he was shot through the eye with an arrow.

William I of England was a mediæval monarch. He ruled as the Duke of Normandy from 1035 to 1087 and as King of England from 1066 to 1087. William, most notably, invaded England, leading an army of Normans to victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest. He, thereby, became the first in a line of English monarchs that continues unbroken to this day.

Richard II (born 23 August 963, in Normandy, France - 28 August 1027, in Normandy), called the Good, was the son and heir of Richard I the Fearless and Gunnora. He succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 996. Richard held his own against a peasant insurrection, and helped Robert II of France against the duchy of Burgundy. He also repelled an English attack on the Cotentin Peninsula that was led by Ethelred II of England.

Robert, called "The Magnificent" for his love of finery, and also called "The Devil" was the son of Duke Richard II of Normandy and Judith, daughter of Conan I, Duke of Brittany. When his father died, his elder brother Richard succeeded, whilst he became Count of Hiémois. When Richard died a year later, there were great suspicions that Robert had Richard murdered, hence his other nickname, "Robert le diable" (the devil).

John (24 December 1166 - 18/19 October 1216) reigned as King of England from 6 April, 1199, until his death. He succeeded to the throne as the younger brother of King Richard I (known in later times as "Richard the Lionheart"). John acquired the nicknames of "Lackland" ("Sans Terre" in French) for his lack of an inheritance as the youngest son and for his loss of territory to France, and of "Soft-sword" for his alleged military ineptitude.

Emma (c. 985-March 6, 1052 in Winchester, Hampshire), was daughter of Richard the Fearless, Duke of Normandy, by his second wife Gunnora. She was twice a Queen consort of the Kingdom of England, by the successive marriages, of herself, like her mother, as the second wife, to Ethelred the Unready of England, (1002-1016), and, to Canute the Great of Denmark, (1017-1035). Two of her sons, one by each husband, and two step-sons, also by each husband, …

Henry III (1 October 1207 - 16 November 1272) was the son and successor of John Lackland as King of England, reigning for fifty-six years from 1216 to his death. Medieval English monarchs did not use numbers after their names, and his contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the Norman Conquest. Despite his long reign, his personal accomplishments were slim and he was a political and military failure.

Gerloc (or Geirlaug), baptised in Rouen as Adela in 912, was the daughter of Rollo, first duke of Normandy, and his wife, Poppa of Bayeux. She was the sister of Duke William Longsword. In 935, she married William Towhead, the future count of Poitou and duke of Aquitaine, then only ten years old. She gave him two children before dying on 14 October 962: *William IV of Aquitaine *Adelaide of Aquitaine, wife of Hugh Capet

Rollo (c. 860 - c. 932) was the founder and first ruler of the Viking principality in what soon became known as Normandy. He is also in some sources known as "Robert of Normandy". The name Rollo is a Frankish-Latin name probably taken from Scandinavian name Hrólf (cf. the latinization of Hrólf Kraki into the similar "Roluo" in the "Gesta Danorum").

Geoffrey V (Godefroi), Count of Anjou, Touraine and Maine, and later Duke of Normandy by marriage, called "Le Bel" ("The Fair"), "Martel" ("The Hammer") or Plantagenet, was the father of King Henry II of England, and thus the forefather of the Plantagenet dynasty of English kings. Geoffrey was the eldest son of Fulk, Count of Anjou and King-Consort of Jerusalem. Geoffrey's mother was Eremburge of La Flèche, heiress of Maine.

Stephen, often referred to in history as Stephen of Blois, (c.1096 - 25 October, 1154), was the last Norman King of England. He reigned from 1135 to 1154 and was succeeded by his cousin Henry II, the first of the Angevin or Plantagenet Kings. Stephen was also the Count of Boulogne by marriage.

Herluin, Viscount of Conteville was a Norman nobleman. He married Herleva, the former mistress of Robert the Magnificent, Duke of Normandy and mother of William the Bastard, in 1031. They had at least five children: * Odo, later Bishop of Bayeux * Robert, later Count of Mortain * three daughters, Emma, Isabella, Muriel, one of whom married William, lord of La Ferté-Macé.

William Adelin was the only legitimate son of Henry I of England and his wife Maud of Scotland. His maternal grandparents were Malcolm III of Scotland and Saint Margaret of Scotland. He was born in Winchester, Hampshire. The second part of William's name is variously referred to as Audelin, Atheling, or Aetheling. In any case it is derived from the Old English "Ætheling", meaning "son of the king".

Wace (c. 1115 - c. 1183) was an Anglo-Norman poet, who was born in Jersey and brought up in mainland Normandy (he tells us in the "Roman de Rou" that he was taken as a child to Caen), ending his career as Canon of Bayeux. His extant works include: *"Roman de Brut" - a verse history of Britain *"Roman de Rou" - a verse history of the Dukes of Normandy *Other works, also in verse, include lives of Saint Margaret and Saint Nicholas.

Robert III (c. 1051 or 1054-February 10, 1134) was a Duke of Normandy and an unsuccessful claimant to the throne of England. His nickname, Curthose, seems to have been a reference to his height - curt meaning short, and hose meaning Hose (clothing). William of Malmesbury and Orderic Vitalis report that Robert's father, King William, called him "brevis-ocrea" (short-boot) in derision. He was the eldest son of William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England, …

Arnulf I of Flanders, called the Great, was the third count of Flanders. Arnulf was the son of count Baldwin II of Flanders and Ælfthryth, daughter of Alfred the Great. He was named after his distant ancestor, Saint Arnulf of Metz; this was intended to emphasize his family's descent from the Carolingian dynasty. Arnulf greatly expanded Flemish rule to the south, taking all or part of Artois, Ponthieu, Amiens, and Ostravent.

Mauger (or "Malger" according to the "Gesta Normannorum Ducum") was the son of Richard II, duke of Normandy, and Papia, daughter of Richildis of Envermeu. His brother was William of Talou, the count of Arques. Mauger was the archbishop of Rouen from c.1037 to 1054 (or 1055). His brother William was defeated in a failed rebellion against their nephew, Duke William II, near Arques in 1053, resulting in the banishment of Talou.

Henry II of England (5 March 1133 - 6 July 1189) ruled as Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, and as King of England (1154-1189) and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland, eastern Ireland, and western France. His sobriquets include "Curt Mantle" (because of the practical short cloaks he wore), …

John II (16 April 1319 - 8 April 1364), called the Good, was Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, and Duke of Normandy from 1332, Count of Poitiers from 1344, Duke of Aquitaine from 1345, and King of France from 1350 until his death, as well as Duke of Burgundy (as John I) from 1361 to 1363. By his marriage to Joanna I, Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne, he became Count by marriage of Auvergne and Boulogne from 1349 to 1360.

Walter de Coutances (d. 1207), bishop of Lincoln and archbishop of Rouen, commenced his career in the chancery of Henry II. He became Vice-Chancellor of England, Canon and Treasurer of Rouen Cathedral in 1173. He became Archdeacon of Oxford in 1175 and elected Bishop of Lincoln in 1183. In 1184 obtained, with the king's help, the see of Rouen. Throughout his career he was much employed in diplomatic and administrative duties. He started with Richard I for the Third Crusade, …

Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan and Liguria, Count of Gavello and Padua, Rovigo, Lunigiana, Monfelice, and Montagrana, was a powerful nobleman in the Holy Roman Empire. Albert Azzo II was the only son of Albert Azzo I, Margrave of Milan. He inherited his father's offices around 1020, and continuously increased his properties in northern Italy. In 1069–1070, he tried to acquire Maine for his son Hugh, because his wife, Garsende, …

Charles de Valois (26 December 1446 - 24 May 1472) was the son of Charles VII, King of France and Marie of Anjou. He spent most of his life plotting against his brother Louis XI. Charles was born at Tours, last child and fourth son of Charles VII and Marie of Anjou. In 1461, Louis XI granted Charles the Duchy of Berry as an appanage. Charles was dissatisfied with this compensation, and joined with Charles, Count of Charolais (the futureDuke of Burgundy, …

Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 to 6 April 1199. In his own time, the troubadour Bertran de Born called him Òc-e-Non ('Yes-and-No'), while some later writers referred to him as Richard the Lionheart, or Cœur de Lion. Richard spent more years of his reign away from his kingdom, since the greater part of his domain was in France. He also took part in the Third Crusade, …

Henry I (c. 1068/1069-1 December 1135) was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and the first born in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106.

James II of England (also known as James VII of Scotland; 14 October 1633 - 16 September 1701) became King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland on 6 February 1685, and Duke of Normandy on 31 December 1660. He was the last Roman Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdom of Scotland, Kingdom of England, and Kingdom of Ireland. Many of his subjects distrusted his religious policies and supposed despotism, …

Arnoul d'Audrehem was a French soldier. He was born at Audrehem, in the present arrondissement of Saint-Omer, in the "département" of Pas de Calais. Nothing is known of his career before 1332, when he is heard of at the court of Philip VI of France. Between 1332 and 1342 he went three times to Scotland to aid King David Bruce in his wars.

Walchelin de Ferrieres (Walkelin Ferriers)(d. 1201) was a Norman baron and principal captain of Richard I of England. The Ferriers family hailed from the southern marches of Normandy and had previously protected the duchy from the hostility of the counts of Maine and Anjou. With the union of the domains of Anjou and Normandy in 1144, and the investment of Geoffrey V Plantagenet as duke of Normandy, most of this land lost its strategic importance.

Geoffrey II of Anjou, called "Martel" ("the Hammer"), was Count of Anjou from 1040 to 1060. He was the son of Fulk the Black. He was bellicose and fought against the Duke of Aquitaine, the Count of Blois, and the Duke of Normandy. During his twenty-year reign he especially had to face the ambitions of the Bishop of Mans, Gervais de Château-du-Loir, but he was able to maintain his authority over the County of Maine. Even before the death of his father in 1040, …

Louis VI (1 December 1081 - 1 August 1137), called the Fat (French: "le Gros"), was King of France from 1108 until his death (1137). The first member of the House of Capet to make a lasting contribution to the centralizing institutions of royal power, Louis was born in Paris, the son of Philip I and his first wife, Bertha of Holland.

William Longsword (born 893, in Normandy, France died December 17, 942, in Normandy) was jarl (ruler) of Normandy. He is considered as the second duke of Normandy, even if this title was not existing at the time. Little is known about his early years. He was born in Bayeux or Rouen. His parents were Rollo and Poppa. All that is known of Poppa is that she was a Christian, and the daughter to Berengar of Rennes, …

Richard I of Normandy (born 28 August 933, in Fecamp Normandy, France died November 20, 996, in Fecamp) was the Duke of Normandy from 942 to 996; he is considered the first to actually have held that title. He was called Richard "the Fearless" (French, "Sans Peur").