俯身去征服（上）

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Book review: The Normans

书评：诺曼人

They stooped to conquer

他们俯身去征服

Empires of the Normans. By Levi Roach.

《诺曼人的帝国》列维·罗奇著

For many years, a Viking host led by a charismatic brigand, Rollo, had been pillaging up and down the Seine.

多年来，富有魅力的海盗罗洛率领的一群维京人在塞纳河上到处抢劫。

But when he overextended himself with an attack on the cathedral city of Chartres in 911, Rollo’s forces were given a bloody nose by the Frankish magnate Robert of Neustria.

但是，当罗洛在911年对教堂城市沙特尔发动进攻时，罗洛的军队被纽斯特利亚的法兰克大亨罗伯特打得鼻青脸肿。

Robert knew this was only a temporary reprieve and advised the king, Charles the Simple, to cut a deal with Rollo while the going was good.

罗伯特知道这只是暂时的喘息之机，于是建议国王查理三世在进展顺利的时候与罗洛达成协议。

They offered land between the Epte and the sea and marriage to Charles’s daughter, Gisla.

他们提供了艾普特和大海之间的土地，并让其与查理三世的女儿吉斯拉结婚。

In exchange Rollo would make a pledge of service to the king (including protection from other Vikings) and convert to Christianity.

作为交换，罗洛将宣誓效忠国王(包括保护国王免受其他维京人的伤害)，并皈依基督教。

He had no hesitation in accepting the terms while demanding (and getting) yet more territory.

他毫不犹豫地接受了这些条款，同时要求(并获得)更多的领土。

But when it came to displaying gratitude by kissing Charles’s feet, as custom required, he got one of his men to do it.

但是，在按照惯例需要亲吻查理三世的脚以示感激时，他让他的一个手下做了这件事。

Also refusing to kneel, Rollo’s henchman simply grabbed the king’s ankle, pulled the royal foot to his lips and sent the monarch sprawling.

罗洛的追随者也拒绝下跪，只是抓住国王的脚踝，将王室的脚拉到嘴唇上，让君主摔倒在地。

The symbolism could not have been clearer.

其象征意义再清楚不过了。

Over the next three centuries, Rollo’s Norman successors—his great-great grandson was William the Conqueror—turned Normandy into the most politically and militarily cohesive territory in what would become France.

在接下来的三个世纪里，罗洛的诺曼继任者--他的曾孙是征服者威廉--将诺曼底变成了后来的法国最具政治和军事凝聚力的领土。

From there they set forth to dominate much of western and southern Europe, carving out kingdoms in England, the south of Italy, Sicily and the Holy Land.

他们从那里开始统治西欧和南欧的大部分地区，在英格兰、意大利南部、西西里岛和圣地开辟了王国。

Exactly 301 years after Rollo’s refusal to bend the knee, the 17-year-old Frederick II was being crowned in Mainz as king of the Germans and Holy Roman Emperor in waiting.

在罗洛拒绝屈膝的整整301年后，17岁的腓特烈二世在美因茨被加冕为德国国王和神圣罗马帝国的待任皇帝。

Young Frederick was a Norman from Apulia.

年轻的腓特烈二世是来自阿普利亚的诺曼人。