The Normans were Vikings.

The Normans were Vikings.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Partly true
• D. Not sure

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that Norman origins trace back to Viking settlers who moved into what became Normandy in northern France. In the 9th and 10th centuries Norse raiders and traders settled there, were granted land by the Frankish rulers, and gradually formed a new community. They kept some of their Norse leadership traditions and military practices, but they adopted the local language and culture and established their own medieval polity. Because the Norman identity grows directly out of Viking ancestry, describing Normans as Vikings is accurate in terms of origin, even though by the high medieval period they were a distinct people with a unique culture and state. So this answer is best because it reflects the historical lineage from Vikings to the Norman identity, while also recognizing the later development into a separate medieval group.

The main idea here is that Norman origins trace back to Viking settlers who moved into what became Normandy in northern France. In the 9th and 10th centuries Norse raiders and traders settled there, were granted land by the Frankish rulers, and gradually formed a new community. They kept some of their Norse leadership traditions and military practices, but they adopted the local language and culture and established their own medieval polity. Because the Norman identity grows directly out of Viking ancestry, describing Normans as Vikings is accurate in terms of origin, even though by the high medieval period they were a distinct people with a unique culture and state. So this answer is best because it reflects the historical lineage from Vikings to the Norman identity, while also recognizing the later development into a separate medieval group.