Rollo the Viking Receives the Land That Becomes Normandy

During the ninth and early tenth centuries, successive Carolingian rulers struggled to counter persistent Scandinavian raids along the waterways of West Francia. Frankish monarchs frequently offered substantial payments of silver to disperse raiding parties, but these payoffs provided only temporary reprieves. Notable incursions demonstrated the vulnerability of the realm, including deep thrusts along the Seine that reached Paris in 845 and 885. Over several decades, roving bands increasingly favored sustained settlement in productive river valleys over brief coastal assaults. A Norse force under the leader Rollo, was based near Rouen for about a decade before 911.

Tensions escalated again in 911 when Rollo led his warriors on an expedition against Chartres. In June of that year, the Norse forces laid siege to the town, but on 20 July Frankish troops commanded by Robert, Count of Paris, relieved the defenses and inflicted a defeat on the attackers. Although beaten back, Rollo and his men remained an organized fighting force capable of further warfare. Charles III, known as Charles the Simple, concluded that continued war was disadvantageous. Seeking to stabilize the lower reaches of the Seine, Charles initiated negotiations with the Norse leader.