NORMANDY

After many thoughts of situations abroad, I felt obliged to dedicate time to my recently adopted Province, expecting that the Normans will appreciate and in particular the members of PS  Federation of Calvados.

I-SUMMARY AND INTRODUCTION 

Main advantages of Normandy:

• A rich historical past - Substantial participation to the birth of two Nations: England and France
• A long maritime coast  and important ports - Close of England - Close of the main cities of Northern Europe
• A very good quality life -  An agreeable weather – It rains much less that you are told
•  Proximity of Paris and of its two International Airports - a Very Rich Patrimony  - Varied landscapes-
• Qualified workforce - Very safe and quiet area - Affordable real Estate price
• Rich agricultural resources - A potential employment pole for new technologies with more advantages to be promoted
• Symbol of Europe liberation in 1944 and then of Union of European Peoples

POINT TO IMPROVE:

Substantial improvement of Normandy’s promotion in France and abroad by leaders

N.B: The main target of this presentation is not a tourist and economic presentation but a review of Normandy past and role to give it back the rank it deserves in view of promotion.

 II-DOMINATING PARIS

French History is too often illustrated by the opposition of Paris, which is the Place of Royal and then Republican Power, to its Provinces suspected of competition against the central power.

Paris’ area today concentrates still too much political and economical power and then a large Population of 11 000 000 of people. Everything taking place in Paris it became too often the place necessary to achieve major ambitions. Paris attracts a lot of populations in quest of jobs as all megalopolis.

Safety in Paris might become a major issue for his future.

Paris is a beautiful city to visit but not live. Geographically, it is a bowl densely inhabited and with no sufficient varied green spaces to create flows of air. Air might be stagnant warming generating ozone on top of artificial pollution, which is damaging for health and specially for elderly people.  

Out of Paris Area live near 55 000 000 of People, which represent 5 times Paris population. Freeing the French population from Paris domination is also a major issue to boost national development.

The Parisian centralization might create economic bottle necks and slowdowns for France as a whole.The transformation of French Provinces according to the model of German Lander or Canadian Provinces might accelerate country development.

 III – NORMANDY: An exceptional History beyond the Nations

From a simple Province Normandy became the most powerful western and French speaking Kingdom from Scotland to Pyrenees

Normandy is a typical example of a province which commands respect as a result of all the above mentioned positives aspects.

Provinces are more natural and more ancient than Nations often artificially created.

For example many Nations have meaningless names illustrating a less evident legitimating than provinces. Nevertheless Nations became necessary to gather bigger sets to face others (competition, defence, conquest, economics…):

A few examples of meaningless names:

France: is not the Country of Franks (German tribe) - England is not the country of Angles (German tribe)

Some countries as USA have no name at all

Netherlands is only an altitude indication.

Israel is the name of one person who might have never existed

Jordan is the name of a river

Palestine is the name of an indo-European tribe (Philistines)

On the contrary, Normandy is a meaningful name since it has really been once the country of Vikings (Men from North).

However, being really Vikings did not prevent them to integrate quickly the larger set hosting them in abandoning a lot of their specificities such as language.  They experimented what was called later a melting pot.

Normans adopted Christianity, French language, French organization but kept a good knowledge of navigation and war art. These latter skills and the assumed right to succession enabled the Duke William II of Normandy, to conquest England and be crowned king of England under the name of William I of England.

William I (1066-1087) carried on its strong feudal authority and became the king of a powerful Country. After twenty years of reign, the local aristocracy became completely Norman.

Normans have therefore brought to England French language, a national organization and administration, an education system and a sense of nation. As a matter of fact England was formerly poorly developed and constantly invaded by various peoples.

French was in particular utilized by lawyers, judges, scribes, officials and by Church. French became the language of administration, law and justice. Lawyers and Judges were all hired in France. Many wealthy families and aristocrats sent their children to study in the cities of France or in special schools teaching French. William imposed French as official language, which was thus adopted by the aristocrats and dignitaries of the Church. French was widely imposed in cultural and artistic life.

In his column, Robert of Gloucester (c. 1260-1300), one of the great kingdom of England and described as a "literate", could write in 1298 So, England fell into the hands of Normandy. And so do the Normans could speak their own language and speak French as they did at home, and taught to their children, so that the noble men of this country, their descendants adhered to the same language they had received from them, because those who do not know French, it was not great, but the bottom kept the English people and its own language. I think that in the world, there is no country that does not keep its own language, if not the only England.]

Robert Gloucester complained that non educated people did not know French but the situation was similar in France where non educated people spoke dialects and local languages.

Henry II (who reigned from 5 March 1133 to 6 July 1189) was the first king of the Plantagenet dynasty (royal family of France) which remained in line with Norman dynasty and, because of his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, his possessions included more than half of France (see map hereunder) in addition to Ireland and Scotland.

In short, Henry II ruled a kingdom ranging from Scotland to the Pyrenees; potentially the most powerful Union  of Europe.

In the long run, the conflict between England and France became inevitable despite we can wonder which of the two countries France was really. We could have imagined that the country with the biggest continental territory and on top other territories in which French was the main language and which was ruled by French Kings might have been more France than its opponent.

The ideal would have been than France became the Union of the two Kingdoms united by a common language:French

The Kingdom of Henry II has no name covering its whole territory and was designed by it numerous components. This Kingdom could have had a name as France, Anglo-Normandy or Franco-Normandy. We are retrospectively in favour to name it FRANCO-NORMANDY as the result of its French language, French Kings, French aristocracy and French Education system.

The small kingdom of France was expecting that Franco-Normandy be its vassal.

The Norman or Plantagenet kings married only French princess from France 1152 and 1445.Some English kings spent more time on the continent (now France) than in England:Henry II spent 21 years on the continent in 34 years of reign. His son the famous Richard I named Angevin or Lion’s Heart paid only few visits to England and did not speak English

 In 1328, the last of the French King Charles IV died without heir and thus the kings of England asserted their rights to succession of the kingdom of France.,

Philippe VI of Valois was preferred by French princes. This was the cause of the war of hundred years.

Therefore, two English kings disputed the kingdom of France until 1453 and this was the Hundred Years War.

Battle of Agincourt: Henry V resumed hostilities against France and landed in Normandy. He won a brilliant victory at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, and its success was confirmed by the Treaty of Troyes (1420): King of England was acknowledged heir to the throne of France. Henry V, who was already Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy and Guyenne, and would have thus become both king of France and England (He died 2 in Vincennes months before his coronation).

The kingdom of France was negligible when Joan of Arc visited Charles VII known as King of Bourges (a small city). She was convinced to be in direct connection with God (today we would have thought to schizophrenia) and convinced him to conquest Paris and became King of france despite the King of France was his father Charles VI. It was said that Charles VI had mental problems and if it is true he was in a similar situation as Joan of Arc.The enemy of the People was the feudal system in general and not a particular King issued out of this sytem.

Joan of Arc was strongly motivated by hatred for Normans up to violence on Battle field which is not in line with real Christianity and was eventually abandoned and sold by her former allies.

It is regrettable that Caen accepted the Statute of Joan of Arc in 1962, since she hated the Normans. This statute was transported in emergency in 1962 from Oran in former French Algeria. Joan of Arc was perfectly in line with the nationalist views of French people from Oran. In Oran the Statute was in front of the huge Cathedral.

The Hundred Years War ended in 1453 in favour of France and this had important negative repercussions in political, Educational, social, and linguistic points in England. The national feelings were exacerbated in both countries. It was a biggest defeat for French Education and language.Without Joan f Arc, I would have written my note in French instead of English to be widely red

 IV- THE NATIONS: ARE THEY WHAT WE BELIVEVE?

In the times of aristocracy and feudality few people in power may decide to appropriate nations against the interest of their peoples.We should pay attention to names and artificial history created around names.

A lot of conflicts between Nations in the world come often of History artificially built to exacerbate the bad human instincts for fighting and conquest.In our last note  “ Peace, must easier to achieve than we are told” we saw how the Democratic Republic of Weimar was weakened by the allied Democracies as France, which thus paved the way to Nazism and then to worst war of the world.

The European Union idea may overcome the vain concepts of nations since they progressively renounced to prerogatives in favour of the community.

This idea must be of course improved and leave more space for the expression of all citizens.

The States should not discourage people to vote for the European Parliament views as a potential enemy of their national prerogatives.

France and Germany may achieve the union failed with England and initiated by the Normans.

Of course in this Union French language will not dominate as this was obtained by the Normans in our Union with England.

 V- ANOTHER STRONG SYMBOLFOR NORMANDY:

NORMANDY WAS CHOSEN TO START  EUROPE LIBERATION

Normandy witnessed first the Liberation of Europe on 6 June 1944 and pay an expensive price for it. As a matter of fact, Normandy was the first major battle field for Europe liberation and many Norman cities and rich patrimonial treasures were destroyed.

Many liberators were descendant of Franco-Normans such as English people and people from former English colonies as USA and Canada. They came back generously to Normandy without any thought for Joan of Arc and unfortunately many of them remained in the  gigantic Norman military cemeteries. 

The Caen Memorial has an international dimension and is dedicated to Peace. It might be also dedicated to the Union of European peoples and of all other peoples.