When analyzing trade and commerce differences between Western and Eastern Europe, Islamic encouragement towards trade and commerce in Eastern Europe in the late 8th and 9th century led to the increased importation of Eastern goods into Western Europe. This increase in exotic goods ultimately increased the wealth of Western Europe and boosted its economy. This in turn, attracted the Vikings to pillage and raid communities in order to increase their own wealth in Northern Europe. We see in the mid-7th century the Muslim Invasions conquering Cathage, Alexandria, and Spain. By the Muslims increasing their empire, this led to a spread not only people, but also Islam. The Sunnah encourages Muslims to trade and make money to support themselves, such …show more content…
(Bianchini, Lecture). There became extensive amounts of landless sons because of this demographic takeoff, and they eventually turn to piracy in order to make a profit. However, while Scandinavian men turned outwards for financial gain, also in the 8th century Western Europe’s economy began to improve. This positive economic turn was due to the influx of Arabic silver into the European economy. (Bianchini, Lecture). The influx of silver was mainly cause of the European slave trade that was happening across the Mediterranean and North Africa. The decrease of people and increase of silver became a major stimulant for the Western European economy (Bianchini, Lecture). Eventually, Western Europe’s progressing economy caught the Vikings’ attention. By realizing the wealth growing in Western Europe and that is was readily accessible, this was enticing for the Vikings to see and wanted it for …show more content…
They were nomadic, pagan people who did not raid others for the purpose of gaining territory or promoting their religious beliefs. They would ravage communities of their valuables and return to Scandinavia so they would be able to support themselves. Because their main focus was obtaining wealth, they paid immense attention to the trading patterns happening throughout Eastern and Western Europe. This attributes to why they travelled to Western Europe to attack just as the economy flourished. They also paid attention to political changes in Western Europe, as when there was political confusion or tension, they knew that area would be vulnerable to attack. (Bianchini, Lecture). Reasons attributing to the Viking’s success included their inability to be stopped by Western Europe and the fear that was installed into the residents of Western Europe. The viciousness of the attacks is clearly described in the Three Sources on the Ravages of the Northmen in Frankland, c. 843 – 912. The collection of these three texts describe various Viking attacks throughout Frankland, giving the reader a clear idea of the horror that the people of Frankland endured when attempting to resist the
During the period 1550-1800, the colonization of the Americas by European civilizations led to massive shifts in economic power from the West to East and vice-versa. An increase in global competition among western civilizations and against their asian counterparts drove Europeans to search for wealth elsewhere, and thus colonizing the Americas. One of the easiest ways to generate a profit, increase a civilizations wealth, and ultimately their military power was through the silver trade. In monopolizing said trade, Europe was able to establish a somewhat steady economic connection to the very wealthy Asian civilizations. However, european nations were struggling to keep control of the silver trade out of Asian hands, which caused major shifts
TheVikings have been sailing for thousands of years (Steel 1). The Vikings traveled for 2 years this was called a Vikings trial (Steel 1). They would go out in search for land and new wonders in life. They would build their own boats out of wood and hides of animals. They were known as the best sailors of their time.
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.
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.
In The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings, Brownsworth argues that the Vikings attacked Europe for money and glory. Vikings are feared, dominate, and superior among all the people in this time period. The Vikings developed the use of longships to use in fighting, they were very diverse in land and sea attacks and ¬¬¬¬they conquered places that allowed them to have better positions for different things. In Sea Wolves, Brownsworth explains who the Vikings were and why they did the things they did. Furthermore, he expresses how the Vikings development of longships to gain control of land, the different lands they conquered, and the different rulers that ruled in this time period.
During the fifteenth century Europeans busted onto the world scene. It began with the search for spices and Christians. Vasco da Gama set sail southward along the West African coast for the spice trade. He thought that others would soon adapt this trade and follow behind him. Christopher Columbus set sail towards America while Vasco da Gama went towards the Indian Ocean. Following this a large amount of European states came into the picture. They had created a widely complex global trade network. This was under the control by Western ships and Western power that delivered food-stuffs, textile goods, spices, and minerals from one end to the other.
...Christian banner so far from home, given the contemporary conditions of transport and communication, was impressive.”(Encarta, “Crusades”). The most important effect of the Crusades was economic. The Italian cities prospered from the transport of Crusaders and replaced Byzantines and Muslims as merchant-traders in the Mediterranean. Trade passed through Italian hands to Western Europe with a tremendous profit. This power became the basis of economics in the Italian Renaissance. It also made powers such as the Atlantic like Spain and Portugal to seek trade through India and China. “Their efforts, through such explorers as Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus, helped to open most of the world to European trade dominance and colonization and to shift the center of commercial activity from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.”(Encarta, “Crusades”).
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.
Meanwhile, the Crusades had expanded trade routes to the East and given Europeans a taste for imported goods… and luxurious textiles,” (History).
Most people think of the Vikings as rude, rough, mean people who simply wanted to destroy and steal everything. But is that really true? Was there a reason behind the Vikings rage and destructive mentality? Their way of life was different from most of the people at the time. But they were very skilled at many things.
... had control various territories. Many merchants learned the Islamic language and became custom to their traditions. This allowed for its culture to spread and Islam had received converts. The trading industry has a major effect on the economy and allows the spread of one’s culture.
During the Renaissance, or “rebirth”, of Europe wealth increased dramatically. The Crusades which preceded the Renaissance, provided Western Europe with new culture and products, such as silk. Merchants began trading with people from the East, which brought wealth and new kinds of goods to Europe. Slavery became re-introduced into society during the Renaissance and many Muslims worked as slaves in Italy. Money lending and trade contributed to the excessive wealth of city-states in Italy.
The creation of a strong and productive society depends on a stable economy. The development of extensive trade relations in Africa, Europe, and Asia, was necessary for the existence of the highly advanced civilizations that exist today. The Trans-Saharan trade, Indian Ocean trade, and manorial trade of Europe in the middle ages were major trading networks that flourished. The Trans-Saharan trade network connected the Mediterranean countries and Northern African countries with Sub-Saharan Africa. The Indian Ocean Trade network stretched from Eastern Africa to China, India, Persia, and other Asian countries. Manorial trade was based on the relationship between land-owning lords and the peasants who farmed their land during the medieval period. Manorial trade differed from the Indian Ocean trade and Trans-Saharan trade in regard to the effects of trade on society, the types of materials traded, role of serfs/ slaves in the trading system, and the participating countries. Manorial trade was local and domestic while the Trans-Saharan and Indian Ocean Trade was international.
“Gold, God and Glory” were motivators of exploration and led Europeans to colonize in ways that fostered economic development and Christianization. The conquest of European expansion and or conquest of the 15-16th century was mainly led by the declination of resources as well as essentials for new ones. European nation-states rivaled by two nations wanting to gain these increasingly scarce resources due to the depletion. This meant that all nation-states were aggressively looking for new land. They dreamed of finding new territories and gaining enormous riches.
In the earliest years of the Vikings, there was little history recorded due to the polytheistic views that they followed. After the Vikings converted to Christianity, there were eventually written documents created pertaining to their existence. In Viking Warfare, I.P. Stephenson states that the Vikings “first described attack took place in AD 789”(11). The Vikings were also known as Norsemen. They were great storytellers, and that is perhaps how society knows so much about them today. The stories that the Norsemen told were called Sagas. Today, Vikings are often depicted as murderous savages, but while they were not pillaging villages they were actually quite a peaceful civilization. There were three countries that Vikings evolved from; Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. Although it may seem that all Vikings were on the same side, they quarreled with each other as well. Despite the fact that Viking battles were bloody and gruesome they were also known to be the most hygienic out of many of the earlier civilizations. There was not a huge percentage of Vikings that went out and raided but when they did they made a huge impact on what Vikings are now known for. The success of Viking warfare and raids relied primarily on the uses of armor, weapons, long ships, and battle tactics.