History of Guernsey 933 when the islands, came under the control of William Longsword, son of Rollo the first Duke of Normandy, having been annexed from the Duchy of Brittany by the Duchy of Normandy. The island of Guernsey and the other island in the Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Duchy of Normandy. In the islands, Elizabeth II's traditional title as head of state is Duke of Normandy. (The masculine nomenclature "Duke" is retained even when the monarch is female.) According to tradition, Robert I, Duke of Normandy (the father of William the Conqueror) was journeying to England in
Maritime history of the Channel Islands promise they would be fed and clothed. Jean Martell from Jersey established in 1715 the Cognac manufacturer Martell and established trading links with Guernsey. The Islands had an involvement in the slavery trade. Guernsey has identified 11 sailings, mainly from the Gambia, between 1741 and 1761, with 2,118 slaves taken and 1,800 delivered. The wine trade was very important, in 1771 Guernsey merchant, Le Marchant recorded 8,000 tons of claret shipped from Bordeaux to Ireland, noting it was usual to mix with ¼ of Spanish wines to make it suitable for the Irish market. By controlling the brandy trade from