England in the Middle Ages 407 who lived near the North Sea for many years before one of their leaders, Rollo (or Hrolf), agreed in 9 1 1 to accept from the West Frankish king a district on the coast, north of Brit- tany, where he and his followers might peacefully settle. Rollo assumed the title of Duke of the Normans, and introduced the Christian religion among his people. For a considerable time the newcomers kept up their Scandinavian habits and language. Gradually, however, they appropriated such culture as their neighbors possessed, and by the twelfth century their capital, Rouen, was one of the most enlightened cities of Europe. Nor- mandy became a source of infinite perplexity to the French kings when, in 1066, Duke William added England to his pos- sessions and the title of "• the Conqueror " to his name ; for he thereby became so powerful that his overlord, the king of France, could hardly hope to control the Norman dukes any longer. William of Normandy claimed that he was entitled to the The struggle English crown, but we are somewhat in the dark as to the basis n^h^crown^" of his claim. There is a story that he had visited the court of between Earl ■' Harold Edward the Confessor and had become his vassal on condition and Duke that, should Edward die childless, he was to declare William his Normandy successor. However this may be, Harold of Wessex assumed the crown upon Edward's death and paid no attention to William's demand that he should surrender it. William thereupon appealed to the Pope, promising that if he The Pope came into possession of. England, he would see that the English winiam's clergy submitted to the authority of the Roman bishop. Conse- ^^^™ quently the Pope, Alexander II, condemned Harold and blessed in advance any expedition that William might undertake to secure his rights. The conquest of England therefore took on the character of a sort of holy war, and as the expedition had been well advertised, many adventurers flocked to William's standard. During the spring and summer of 1066 ships were building in the various Norman harbors for the purpose of carrying William's army across the Channel.
