The New Student's Reference Work/Normandy

Nor'mandy, an ancient province of France bordering on the English Channel, comprises at present an area of about 10,500 square miles, divided into the departments of the Seine-inférieure, Eure, Orne, Calvados and Manche. The soil is fertile and the population about 2,500,000. The present inhabitants are lineally descended from the ancient Normans, whose duke, William the Conqueror, in 1066 invaded England and established his dynasty upon the throne of that country. England and Normandy were thus under the same rulers until 1204, when Philip Augustus conquered Normandy and made it a part of France. It was reconquered by the English in 1415 at Agincourt, but again wrested from them by Charles VII in 1449. The people are hardy, industrious and exceedingly proud of their history. Their language and their art have left abiding evidences of their value upon the literature and architecture of France. The chief city of the region is Rouen (population 124,987).