BRUCE (origin: Normandy France Local) De Bruys; from Bruy or Bruys, a place in Normandy where the family originated. De Bruys was one of the followers of William the Conqueror and fought at the Battle of Hastings. From this ancestor, King Robert Bruce was descended.
The year was 1066. William of Normandy led French speaking descendants of former Viking raiders to conquer England and defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. It turned out to be the Vikings' last conquest, and the only reason they really won that battle was because Harold's army had marched 220 miles south in less than three weeks after defeating a Viking army in central England.
The Vikings had had a good run. Not only did they set up a colony in North America 500 years before Columbus set sail for the Indies, but they also gave us the subject of many movies, some good, some awful. I enjoyed The 13th Warrior. My favorite part was when Antonio Banderas was sitting in the circle with the Vikings and by the end of the night he could speak their language. The Vikings also gave us Bjork - I'm not sure if that's good or bad.
Jay Bruce could have Viking blood. Let's hope he's ruthless on Major League pitching!
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