Editing History of Guernsey (section)

===The Duchy of Normandy===

The history of the Bailiwick of Guernsey goes back to 933 when the islands came under the control of [[William I Longsword|William Longsword]], son of [[Rollo]] the first Duke of Normandy, having been annexed from the [[Duchy of Brittany]] by the [[Duchy of Normandy]]. The island of Guernsey and the other island in the [[Channel Island]]s represent the last remnants of the medieval Duchy of Normandy.<ref name=HoG/> In the islands, [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]]'s traditional title as [[head of state]] was [[Duke of Normandy]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/QueenandCrowndependencies/ChannelIslands.aspx |title=Channel Islands |publisher=The Royal Household Royal.gov.uk |access-date=31 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921052748/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/QueenandCrowndependencies/ChannelIslands.aspx |archive-date=21 September 2012 }}</ref> (The masculine nomenclature "Duke" is retained even when the monarch is female.)

In 1020, [[Richard II, Duke of Normandy|Duke Richard II]] split Guernsey in half, between the viscounts of the Cotentin and the viscounts of Bessin. However, when one of the former's ancestor died heirless in around 1137, the fief reverted to the Duke, hence why it is named {{Lang|fr|Fief le Roi}} (the King's fief).<ref name="RL">{{cite book|last=Lempriére|first=Raoul|title=History of the Channel Islands|date=27 March 1974 |publisher=Robert Hale Ltd|isbn=978-0709142522}}</ref>{{Rp|page=22}}

According to tradition, [[Robert I, Duke of Normandy]] (the father of [[William the Conqueror]]) was journeying to England in 1032, to help Edward the Confessor. He was obliged to take shelter in Guernsey and gave land, now known as the ''Clos du Valle'', to the monks. Furthermore, in 1061, when pirates attacked and pillaged the Island, a complaint was made to Duke William. He sent over Sampson D'Anneville, who succeeded, with the aid of the monks, in driving the pirates out. For this service, Sampson D' Anneville and the monks were rewarded with a grant of half the Island between them. The portion that went to the monastery was known as ''Le Fief St Michel'', and included the parishes of [[St Saviour's, Guernsey|St Saviour]], [[St Peter's, Guernsey|St Pierre du Bois]], [[Castel, Guernsey|Ste. Marie du Catel]], and the Vale. The part of Sampson was called fief of Anneville.
Another version <ref>{{cite book|title=Essays on Guernsey History Edith Frances Carey Essays on Guernsey History | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z27TAAAAMAAJ| last1=Carey | first1=Edith Frances | year=1936 }}</ref> says that Sampson followed Duke William and fought Neel de Saint Saveur [[Nigel de Saint-Sauveur]], who held the fief of de Bessin in Guernsey. The rebels were eventually defeated at the decisive [[Battle of Val-ès-Dunes]] (1047) and on this occasion Nèel, Viscount of Cotentin, fled to Brittany and forfeited his fief in Guernsey. This battle is described by Wace in his poem "Roman du Rou". In any case, in this version too, Sampson d'Anneville stands at the beginning of the actual feudal settlement of the island. Sampson built a manor house called Manor d'Anneville and had two sons. The founding of the Seigneurie and fief d'Anneville in one quarter of the island, followed by the settlement of various Norman lords, means that feudal settlement and organisation of the island had already taken place before the Conquest. This tradition, of course, underlines the special character of Guernsey. It is echoed by many historians.<ref>{{cite book|title=The History of Guernsey and Its Bailiwick: With Occasional Notices of Jersey by Ferdinand Brock Tupper|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NphJAAAAMAAJ&q=The+History+of+Guernsey+and+Its+Bailiwick:+With+Occasional+Notices+of+Jersey+by+Ferdinand+Brock+Tupper | last1=Tupper | first1=Ferdinand Brock | date=23 January 2024 }}</ref> Other historians, such as James Marr, suggest that this second phase of development was longer and continued after the death of William in 1087 and the rise of Geoffrey of Anjou.

In 1066, the Duke [[William the Conqueror]] defeated [[Harold Godwinson]] at [[Battle of Hastings|Hastings]] to become the [[List of English monarchs|King of England]]; however, he continued to rule his French possessions, including Guernsey, as a separate entity,<ref>{{cite web|date=1999-05-18|title=A Short Constitutional History of Jersey|url=http://www.voisinlaw.com/default.asp?contentID=368|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101206062513/http://www.voisinlaw.com/default.asp?contentID=368|archive-date=2010-12-06|access-date=2009-06-25|publisher=Voisin & Co}}</ref> as [[fealty]] was owed to the King of France. This initial association of Guernsey with England did not last long, as William split his possessions between his sons: [[Robert Curthose]] became Duke of Normandy and [[William II of England|William Rufus]] gained the English Crown. William Rufus' brother [[Henry I of England|Henry I]] recaptured Normandy for England in 1106.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Lempière|first=Raoul|title=Customs, Ceremonies and Traditions of the Channel Islands|publisher=Robert Hale|year=1976|isbn=0-7091-5731-2|location=Great Britain}}</ref>{{Rp|23}} The island was then part of the English King's realm (though still part of Normandy and France). Around 1142, it is recorded that Guernsey was under the control of the [[Counts and dukes of Anjou|Count of Anjou]], who administered Normandy for the Duke.<ref name="RL" />{{Rp|page=23}}