Until 1204 Jersey was a part of the Dutchy of Normandy which was run by Duke William II, Duke William was also king of England after beating Harold at Hastings in 1066, Harold died a wonderful 'arrow in the eye' kind of death. When King Philippe of France beat King John of England to take the Dutchy of Normandy, Jersey had a decision to make, stick with John or give Philippe a try. As you can tell from the fact we all speak English and have a BBC service in the island, we decided to carry on playing with John, this led to the Channel Islands becoming a flashpoint on the international stage between England and France. Mont Orgueil Castle was built to serve as a Royal fortress and military base, just in case France decided they wanted us instead. During the Hundred Years War the island was attacked on number of occasions and occupied for a couple of years in the 1380's. For more information on the history of the island, going back to when it all started 250,000 years ago, take a look at our island history section; About Jersey. There are a number of events and activities taking place in the island over the next twelve months including a Medieval Concert, the launch of a childrens book and a number of walks, tours and exhibitions. Keep an eye on our what's on diary for more details of up coming events. Talk to each other  For an open and live debate on this or any subject that matters to you why not visit the BBC Jersey message boards and start a discussion on the subject.
Unlike the comments in our discussions on this site the message boards allow for live debate and discussion so visit get talking by visiting the message boards now.
| 
