During the long reign of Duke Richard the Fearless, the son of William Longsword, a reign which lasted from 945 to 996, the heathen Norman pirates became French Christians and feudal at heart.

The old Norse language lived only at Bayeux and in a few local names.

As the old Northern freedom died silently away, the descendants of the pirates became feudal nobles and the "Pirates' land" sank into the most loyal of the fiefs of France.
[Sidenote: Duke William] From the moment of their settlement on the Frankish coast, the Normans had been jealously watched by the English kings; and the anxiety of AEthelred for their friendship set a Norman woman on the English throne.
The marriage of Emma with AEthelred brought about a close political connexion between the two countries.

It was in Normandy that the King found a refuge from Swein's invasion, and his younger boys grew up in exile at the Norman court.

Their presence there drew the eyes of every Norman to the rich land which offered so tempting a prey across the Channel.