The city of Rouen, lying on the River Seine, has been inhabited since prehistoric times. In the Roman period it became a city with the name of Rotomagus. In 911 Rouen became the capital of Normandy. The King of France Philip II Augustus conquered Normandy in 1204 and Rouen became the second largest city in the Kingdom of France.
It was in Rouen that Joan of Arc was executed in 1431.
The Impressionist painter Claude Monet (1840-1926) made a series of paintings of the cathedral.