Hauteville-la-Guichard
Encyclopedia
Hauteville-la-Guichard is a commune
in the Manche
department in Normandy
in north-western France
(population: 425 in 2006).
It is famous as the original stronghold of the Hauteville family
who made their fortunes in southern Italy and Sicily as the Norman kings of Sicily
, beginning with the modest Norman seigneur Tancred of Hauteville
, who is commemorated by a simple exhibit housed in the former presbytère.
may descend from Hiallt
, a Norseman born in 920 who settled in the Cotentin and founded the village of Hialtus Villa (Hauteville) from which the family takes its name. From just which village of Hauteville the family drew its name is hard to identify with certainty, though modern scholarship favours Hauteville-la-Guichard.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Manche
Manche
Manche is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche , which is the French name for the English Channel.- History :Manche is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
department in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
in north-western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(population: 425 in 2006).
It is famous as the original stronghold of the Hauteville family
Hauteville family
The family of the Hauteville was a petty baronial Norman family from the Cotentin which rose to prominence in Europe, Asia, and Africa through its conquests in the Mediterranean, especially Southern Italy and Sicily...
who made their fortunes in southern Italy and Sicily as the Norman kings of Sicily
Italo-Norman
The Italo-Normans, or Siculo-Normans when referring to Sicily, were the Italian-born descendants of the first Norman conquerors to travel to the southern Italy in the first half of the eleventh century...
, beginning with the modest Norman seigneur Tancred of Hauteville
Tancred of Hauteville
Tancred of Hauteville was an 11th-century Norman petty lord about whom little is known. His historical importance comes entirely from the accomplishments of his sons and later descendants...
, who is commemorated by a simple exhibit housed in the former presbytère.
Origins
The Hauteville familyHauteville family
The family of the Hauteville was a petty baronial Norman family from the Cotentin which rose to prominence in Europe, Asia, and Africa through its conquests in the Mediterranean, especially Southern Italy and Sicily...
may descend from Hiallt
Hiallt
Hiallt was a Norseman who settled in Normandy, France in the 10th century, following the success of Rollo 1st Duke of Normandy and the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte. He settled in the Cotentin Peninsula and founded the village of Hialtus Villa...
, a Norseman born in 920 who settled in the Cotentin and founded the village of Hialtus Villa (Hauteville) from which the family takes its name. From just which village of Hauteville the family drew its name is hard to identify with certainty, though modern scholarship favours Hauteville-la-Guichard.