What Tribe Settled in the Province of Normandy, France?

Normandy is two different areas in France, Haute-Normandie and Basse-Normandie, which mean high and low Normandy. Its northwest France location along the English Channel and below Flanders, now Belgium and the southwest area of the Netherlands, subjected it to several shifts in civilizations and theories on the first tribes in the area of Normandy.

History

Investigate the caves of Gouy and Orival in Normandy. These caves correlate with 12 others found throughout Northern Europe. Outside of Gouy, they found bone with a radiocarbon date over 12050 years ago. The tribes or cultures that created these arts and the flints found outside the cave entrances were probably the cultures of the Magdalenian, Azlian or Federmesser, according to the Fosse papers of 1997. These correlate to a group of 12 different caves in Northern Europe and were most probably the first tribes to inhabit the area.

Significance

Understand that the Celts moved in. Later Gauls battled for possession of the area. These peoples were also Celts, but called Belgium Celts. In that time, there were also Iberians who weren't a specific culture but inhabited the Iberian Peninsula and migrated to Normandy and Ligules from the Eastern coast of Italy who inhabited the area.

Effects

Imagine the unification of the people under the Belgium Celts, the Gauls. Even though the Celts inhabited the land already, the Belgium Celts continuously attacked the land and finally after they made various waves of attack conquered the land of Normandy and united it loosely under the Gallic rule in 57 BC in an attempt to stop the army of Caesar.

Considerations

The Gaul's battled for their honor and land for another 6 years when Caesar finalized his conquest of Normandy. He divided the area into two parts, Belgica and Celtic, with Celtica containing only a small portion of Normandy. The great Roman Empire eventually grew weak from within and other nations invaded. The tribes that invaded were the Germanic tribes from the west and the Saxons on the coastlines.

Geography

Invasion of the area came from the Teutons. This Germanic tribe contained many different branches. The Franks were a loose confederation of those living in the area of Northwest Germany and the Netherlands. The Franks were one most remembered as the early founders of France. The Franks defeated the Romans and became the ruling tribe in mid 400 AD.

Identification

Know that the invasions didn't stop with the establishment of the Franks. Vikings from the Scandinavian countries invaded the area of Normandy twice. The first was between 800 and 900 AD and the second was at the end of 900 and the first years of 1000 AD. The name for the Vikings was Northmanorum and it gave birth to the name for the area we call Normandy.

Resources

• Palaeolithic cave art in West France