Exercises on the Norman Invasions

Throughout the 9th century, the Franks were constantly attacked by the Normans, who invaded Frankish territory from the north coast. The records made by the Franks referred to the peoples who attacked them as nortmanni , term translated into Portuguese as Normans. When we refer to the Normans, we are talking about:

a) Celts.

b) Slavs.

c) Vikings .

d) vandals.

e) Gauls.

The Normans carried out expeditions to different regions of Europe, but the action in the Kingdom of the Franks stands out because of the reports of the Franks themselves. In general, the Normans carried out these attacks against the Franks with the aim of:

a) stealing food, as agricultural production in Scandinavia was very weak.

b) looting and getting riches.

c) get swords, since the Franks were great sellers of armaments.

d) steal animals to be used as draft animals in Scandinavia.

e) promote the destruction of churches.

Norman attacks were generally successful because of the element of surprise. The Normans used the speed of their ships to reach the places they would silently attack. In addition, the looting was carried out as lightly as possible to prevent the news of the attack from being spread and troops being sent to fight them. Among the Normans' attack targets, the preferred ones were:

a) Catholic abbeys.

b) farms.

c) peasant villages.

d) great castles.

e) merchant posts.

Historians are aware that in the early 10th century a Norman was established in northern France (a region known as Normandy) as duke of the region. This happened during the reign of Charles the Simple, king who ruled the Franks from 893 to 922. The Norman who received the title over this strip of land in Normandy was:

a) Ragnar Lodbrok

b) Eric the Red

c) Snorri Sturluson

d) Harald Haraldson

e) Rollo

LETTER C

The term “Norman” refers to the way the Franks referred to the people we know as Vikings or just Nordics. It is important to consider that the term viking makes specific mention of the Norse who lived between 793 and 1066, also known as the Viking Era . The term “Norman” makes reference to the word “nortmanni ”, which means “men of the north”.

LETER B

The intention of the Normans with the expeditions they promoted through the Kingdom of the Franks or elsewhere in Europe was to obtain the maximum amount of riches in the shortest possible time. Thus, the invasions aimed mainly at obtaining precious metals and items of similar value. Of course, any kind of object that could have financial income could be looted, and not necessarily just precious metals.

LETER A

The main target of the Normans during their expeditions was Catholic abbeys. The preference for these places is explained by the fact that they were located in isolated regions, were poorly protected and had a large amount of wealth, since there were numerous items of gold and silver in the abbeys. Other sites were also attacked, but abbeys were a favorite of the Normans.

LETTER E

Historians know that it was Rollo who received authorization from the Frankish king Charles the Simple to settle in Normandy as duke of the region. This happened in 911 and was the way found by the Frankish king to put an end to the attacks that suffered from the Normans.