Viking Activity in the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Centuries "The pagans from the northern regions came with a naval force to
Britain like stinging hornets and … robbed, tore and slaughtered …
even priests and deacons, and companies of monks and nuns"
Originating from the sparsely populated, barren and virtually
resourceless land of the Scandinavian peninsulas, the Vikings set out,
in the late 8th century to capture the wealth and resources of their
trading partners. Throughout the 8th, 9th and 10th centuries the
Northmen brutally killed and destroyed as they conquered much of
Europe, earning a reputation as a violent and remorseless people. But
were the Vikings really the bloodthirsty barbarians that history has
so often portrayed them as? The Attacks throughout Europe certainly
were brutal, and created a period of fear throughout Europe, but these
attacks were also extremely well planned and organised, while those
they attacked were largely unprepared for battle. In addition to this,
the Vikings tactics of violence were not unusual or uncommon during
that time, and it is unlikely that the Vikings, who had struggled for
survival for centuries, would have known any other method of
successfully gaining control of the lands they conquered. There is
also evidence to suggest that, despite the countless accounts of
campaigns of violence and brutality, the Vikings wanted nothing more
than free access to the fertile land and wealth of Europe, which did
not exist in the peninsulas of Scandina...
... middle of paper ...
...ent of truth to them. Portrayed
throughout history as a race of brutal, barbaric, bloodthirsty and
primitive people, the Vikings devastated many areas of Europe as a
result of their violent campaigns. However, perhaps the generally
accepted 'bad press' is not entirely warranted. These attacks, while
undeniably vicious, were not as mindless as portrayed, but were in
fact well organised, efficient campaigns carried out to obtain wealth
and resources, a tactic that was quite common in the early middle
ages, and proved to be quite successful. While the Northmen induced a
state of fear throughout Europe for well over a century, there is no
evidence to suggest that these violent tactics were anything more than
the Viking's attempt to gain free access to the fertile land and
wealth of their trading partners throughout Europe.
The Great Heathen Army was the name of a coalition of Norse armies from the Scandinavian region; Denmark, Norway, and possibly also Sweden in approximately 865CE, and ending in approximately 875CE with the defeat of the Viking army by King Alfred ‘The Great’ of Wessex. There were multiple possible motivations for this invasion, including (but not limited to): revenge for the death of legendary Ragnarr Lodbok, the expansion of Norse control into the British Isles, and the need for fresher lands for agriculture. There are two main sources that tell us about the Great Heathen Invasion; The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle by various authors and Life of King Alfred by Asser, which will be evaluated to determine their reliability as primary sources for the
The vikings first made contact in eighth century Shetland. From there they made their way south to Orkney and Caithness, eventual...
All across cultures in history, varying groups of beliefs have come into contact with one another. As for early Muslims, military expansion and travel were key components for spreading the Islamic religion to foreign nations. However, not all exchanges were hostile or wholly based on the conquest of exotic lands. Some interactions solely were based on capturing lands to control, while allowing non-converters to remain in the area as the military continued forward gaining new territory. The primary sources, The Viking Rus, Peace Terms with Jerusalem, and The Pact to Be Accorded to Non-Muslim Subjects provide insight on how Muslims interacted with other religious groups. Early Muslims saw the expansion of Islam through conquest, travel, and trade with foreign cultures and beliefs, all while having unusual exchanges with each faith.
When we hears the term Viking an immediate image of bloodthirsty men with long beards and horned helmets is conjured up in our minds. This is the image the historical sources have given us, and it is partly true. Vikings were merciless when raiding, but they were peaceful when they traded. Their navigational technology was exceptional, and the ones who settled in foreign lands contributed greatly to the lands’ culture.
The blood-thirsty Vikings had such a strong influence and impact on Western Europe that their impact of Viking contact spread throughout the world and lives on today. Three significant ways they affected the world was by the Vikings amazing technology skills of ship building and navigation as well as their polytheism religion.
During the turn of the 5th century, the British Isles were under control of a strong and powerful group of people, called the Anglo-Saxons. These individuals worshipped under a Pagan religion that shaped their society in many ways. During the time period when the story was written, it is believed to have followed strict Paganism beliefs. Throughout the time the story has been told, Christian monks have rewritten it, changing it around to follow a Christian belief system. Even with these changes and rewrites, the core essence of the Anglo-Saxon beliefs remain in the story. Within the epic poem of Beowulf, readers can clearly see the traditions of Anglo-Saxon culture and the Pagan religion, including importance of reputation, concept of fate,
This book is a very important primary source for historians because it contains the only primary source concerning the Vikings before they converted to Islam, and many other accounts of important information including Viking raids. The book shows how the Eastern Vikings lived and how the Muslim world interacted with them. It also gives insight into the state of Islam in the tenth through twelfth century. Almost all of the information is this book is relevant to historians and the eye witness accounts are very useful concerning the people and places in this time period.
"Norse Mythology: The Valkyries: The Chooser of the Slain." Norse Mythology. Accessed May 29, 2014. http://www.viking-mythology.com/valkyries.php.
Norse death rituals or Viking death rituals are the customs that Vikings used to honor their deceased. The Vikings believed that when they died, everyone went to one of two places, “The two realms in Norse mythology that were commonly associated with the religious practices of funerals and burials were Valhalla and Helheim.” (Legendsand…). The Vikings did two things with their dead, they cremated their dead and buried them, and in some cases both were done. Many warriors were buried where they died on the battlefield and other times they were cremated on a funeral pyre. Very rarely the body of a noble was cremated, his ashes put in an urn then placed in a longboat and sent to sea.
During the medieval warm period the spread of the Norse occurred. The Norse raided, traded, ventured from Scandinavia across the North Sea into France along with the Low Countries. The Norse was known as peaceful traders who kept their knowledge close on a personal level. They kept their knowledge from generations to generations. Their knowledge was always in constant use. “Nose navigators lived in intimate association with winds and waves, watching sea and sky, sighting high glaciers from afar by the characteristics ice-blink that reflects from them, predicting ice conditions from years of experience navigating near the pack” (Fagan, 5). The climate
To distinguish the changeover from the two religions (Paganism and Christianity) it is unquestionably vital to understand what Paganism actually is. “Sometimes at pagan shrines they vowed/offerings to idols, swore oaths/that the killer of souls might come to their aid/and save the people. That was their way,/their heathenish hope; deep in their hearts/they remembered hell.” (Heaney 170-180). The Danes engaged in several pagan practices such as idol...
When the Vikings reached the New World, they called the native inhabitants (American Indians or Native Americans), “Skræling.” There has been much debate as to what exactly this word or label meant. Some translate it as “skin wearers,” which may be true as to how they described them, being the Norse generally wore woolen or linen clothing and North American Natives generally wore animal skins. But there was one additional thing puzzling about the Norse and the Skræling. The Viking explorers weren't curious or baffled by these new people. As if, they'd come into contact with people like this before and their way of life. 500 years later, when other Europeans had come to the New World (The Americas), they were ultimately curious of these strange new people and their ways that they had never seen before. But not the Norse, the Norse hint that they have come into regular contact with people like this on a fairly regular basis.
Typically, the image of a Viking is a barbaric, bearded man plundering and destroying a neighboring village. This is actually the stereotypical viewpoint. In actuality, Vikings, have a very different image. For example, Vikings did not wear furry boots or furry armor, they did not have horned helmets, they invaded Britain, and they also were the first to discover America! They were also experts in nautical technology, crafts, trading, warfare and many other skills (Jonsson 1). With all of these traits, the Vikings seem like an unstoppable force in the European continent. But, who were the Vikings? The Vikings were actually venturesome seafarers. This means that they were travelers who were constantly exploring and looking for new areas of land. There roots can be traced all the way back to 6000 B.C. were nomadic men traveled in primitive crafts up the Denmark coast. Fast forward two millennia and these nomadic people have established permanent homes, but still using the boat for food and travel. As stated before, they were not just raiders, although they did do this frequently, but they were actually expert traders, trading all around the world. It wasn’t until around 793 A.D. that a Viking explosion took place in northern Europe (Jonsson 2). Raids began to take place on neighboring villages and their places of worship. To some this is the only type of knowledge they have about Vikings. However, their culture was something to be admired. Trading, religion, and everyday life are all important parts of a Viking culture.
Sprague, Martina. Norse Warfare: The Unconventional Battle Strategies of the Ancient Vikings. New York: Hippocrene, 2007. Print.
The most accepted official start of the Viking Age is recorded to have begun on June 8th, 793 AD when Norse raiders landed on the island of Lindisfarne and attacked the Christian Monastery located there, killing the monks and seizing the valuables. Viking raids by op...