The Norman Conquests

The Normans, Normanni (Latin) Les Normands (French) came from an area in North-Western France named after them. Normandy "land of the North-men" was created by Viking raiders in the early 10th century. Within 150 years of establishing themselves, The Dukes of Normandy had created one to the most feared and organised Principalities in Medieval Europe. As the 12th century approached, the Viking age was coming to an end. The hour of the Normans had arrived; their first expansion took them to the foot of Southern Italy and Sicily. The exploits of the sons of Tancred de Hauteville would become engrained in Norman myth and legend. The penniless Mafia like mercenaries defied the odds and created the Norman Kingdom in the sun. For over two centuries the Norman conquests created a piecemeal Empire that stretched from the wild windswept landscapes of Celtic Ireland and Scotland in the north to the sun drenched shores of Sicily in the Mediterranean and to the very frontiers of Christendom itself in the Outremer (Holy land). Their last conquest, almost forgotten by history would take them to the very edge of the known world. In 1402 A.D Norman adventurer's set sail on an epic journey to conquer the mystical volcanic islands of the Canaries in the Atlantic Ocean.