Rouen is the historical capital city of Normandy and it was one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe. Rouen was one of the capitals of the Anglo-Norman dynasties, which ruled both England and large parts of modern France from the 11th to the 15th Century. It was in Rouen that Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake in 1431.

Rouen is located in northwestern France on the river Seine, and is currently the capital of the Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) region.