A Brief History of the Viking Age

It was an era where Norsemen explored Europe, crossing seas and rivers, trading, raiding and colonising. The Vikings are one of the most well known people of history. For 300 years between the 8th century and the 11th century, the Vikings raided all over Europe and settled in far away lands. So let's take a look at the Vikings and how their culture met their demise. The Vikings came from Scandinavia, the modern day countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Vikings weren't a people, or ethnicity as such. The word Viking meant to explore, or raid. A better term for these people would be Norse, or Norsemen, from the north, and they were mostly farmers. Until the 10th century and beyond, the Norse weren't a united people, having no allegiance to a specific country. They shared a common culture, religion and language. However, they remained in separate tribes, going on raids for riches and new lands, and sometimes fought against each other. For Viking raids, a ship was essential, and over the centuries the longship was developed. Around the 9th century, the longship had become one of the most powerful naval vessels of the time. There were four main designs, but simply they were made out of wood and were light enough to portage over land. Its symmetrical bow and stern, accompanied by oars, allowed the ship to reverse its direction if needed. Oars also allowed a boost in speed, so sailing across seas and rivers was quick and efficient. What made Vikings so terrifying was their ability to show up out of nowhere, without warning, and with shield, spear and axe, they would terrify many. There are many theories as to why the Viking Age began. Some historians say it was to avoid conversion to Christianity, while others speculate it was due to overpopulation and the need for better farmland. Another argument is that Norsemen gave their first sons all land and property, so younger siblings ventured off to find their own land. Norsemen sailed the Baltic Sea, along the coasts and rivers of Finland, down the Volga in Russia. They also explored the Rhine and Seine rivers and the Mediterranean, travelled to the British Isles, Iceland, Greenland and New Finland. The collapse of Roman military rule in the early 5th century left Britain fragmented with numerous small kingdoms. Over the centuries, the Germanic tribes known as the Angles, Jutes and Saxons migrated over from the Jutland Peninsula and some ruled as Anglo-Saxon warlords, forming the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The Kingdom of Northumbria became a dominant power in Britain and its king called upon a monk named Aedon. Along with his companions, Aedon was granted the small tidal island of Lindisfarne on which to found a monastery to further spread the message of Christianity. One of the first Viking raids on the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms came in 793 AD at Lindisfarne and this is seen as the beginning of the Viking Age. Norwegian Vikings later raided Iona Abbey in Scotland and monasteries in Ireland and eventually controlled much of the Hebrides in parts of Scotland and Ireland. Norway at this time was divided into a number of small petty kingdoms who were constantly at war, vying for control. However, in 872, a king by the name of Harald Fairhair managed to conquer and claim dominion over the region after the Battle of Hafsfjord. However, following his death, the region split again. Monasteries and abbeys made for easy targets as they were often built by the coast, had little defence and contained large amounts of wealth. Much of what we know about the Vikings came from monks telling tales of pagans stealing God's wealth, taking people as slaves and burning villages. Normally history is written by the victors, but in the case of the Vikings, petrified victims wrote about them, or those long after they were gone. One of the sources for the Viking Age comes from the sagas. The sagas were stories written hundreds of years after the Viking Age, some of which has been proven to be somewhat historically accurate, while other parts, the work of myth and legend. The Norsemen had a writing system called runes, which were inscriptions either carved out of wood or stone, and sometimes weaponry. Norsemen themselves weren't too bothered with writing their own history, as these runes were short and often didn't mention expeditions. One key example is the duelling stones in what is now Denmark, raised by King Gorm the Old. The larger of the two stones was raised by the king's son, Harald Bluetooth. It celebrated his conquest of Denmark and Norway, and his conversion of the Danes to Christianity. Iceland was discovered by accident in the early 9th century, and was quickly settled by Norwegians and their slaves. Many in Norway had been fleeing conflict or seeking new land to farm, and Iceland made for a great destination. Many sagas were written in Iceland in the 13th century, detailing the records of Norse life and their voyages to places like Greenland and the short-lived colony in Finland, what is now New Finland. Leif Erikson set foot on the American continent 500 years before Columbus, however the settlements in Finland did not last long, surviving less than a decade. During the Viking Age, Danish Vikings raided along the coasts and rivers in Frisia and France. The Franks fortified bridges along these rivers to act as a defence against the Vikings, but failed to hold off renewed attacks. Under the leadership of Ragnar, they sailed up the Seine River and sacked Paris, only leaving after a tribute of 2,600 kilograms of silver by the Frankish king Charles the Bold. In the year 911 AD, a Viking chief by the name of Rolo was named the Count of Royne. The king of West Francia gave him this land, and in exchange Rolo converted to Christianity and had to provide protection against future Viking raids. Within a century, Rolo's descendants would form the Duchy of Normandy, and in 1066, Duke William of Normandy would invade England and conquer it, changing history forever. Before this however, many Danish Vikings came together to invade the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms in 865. Northumbria was captured, turning it into a puppet state. The conquest of East Anglia occurred soon after, and eventually the Danelaw was formed. For a time, the Danelaw was a land in which the laws of the Danes held influence over the Anglo-Saxons, controlling the region and its affairs. Under Alfred the Great and his descendants, the Anglo-Saxons eventually drove them out. Despite this, raids became more organised, often coordinated by royal leaders. Denmark had transitioned into a unified kingdom under Harald Bluetooth. His son, Sven Forkbeard, raided England countless times, often demanding Dængeld. Dængeld was a tribute to Viking raiders, to save a land from being ravaged. England was considerably wealthy at this time, so was often an easy target, and in 991 alone, the Danes acquired 4,500 kilograms of silver. Several decades later, England was brought into the fold, as a short-lived Danish empire emerged under King Canute. So it's no coincidence that the English language has four days of the week named after Norse gods. Tuesday is named after the Nordic god of war and son of Odin. Wednesday is Woden's day, Woden being Old English for Odin, king of the Norse gods. Thursday is Thor's day, son of Odin and god of the sky. Friday is Frigga's day, a goddess and Odin's wife. While Danish and Norwegians travelled mostly west, Swedish Vikings travelled mostly east, raiding parts of the Baltic and Finland. They travelled down the Volga and Dnieper rivers, all the way down to the Caspian Sea and Black Sea, mostly as merchants trading goods like iron, slaves and furs. Many towns such as Hedby, Roskilde, Birka, Visby, York and Dublin expanded greatly thanks to the trading networks that spread all the way to Baghdad. During the 6th century, the lands of Eastern Europe had been settled by Slavic tribes. The Vikings who sailed down these rivers launched numerous raids and brought suppression on the Slavic people. The Slavic tribes then revolted and expelled the Vikings, but left to govern themselves, turmoil manifested and they soon invited them back to rule, electing a prince known as Rurik. Rurik and his descendants would go on to consolidate further lands, laying the foundations for the formidable Kievan Rus. These Vikings, interbred with the Slavic people and the Kievan Rus later abandoned their Slavic paganism, refused Islam due to a ban on alcohol and instead adopted Orthodox Christianity. Their reputation reached all over Europe as fearsome warriors that were hard as nails. A Byzantine emperor then contacted them and invited them to join his personal guard, this became known as the Varangian Guard. It became a special elite force in the Byzantine army from the 10th century to the 14th century, with members serving as personal bodyguards to the Byzantine emperors. When Scandinavia's petty kingdoms transitioned into unified nations, many kings adopted Christianity. Many continued their pagan beliefs, but over time, Christianity became the common religion. Accompanied by the loss of land and territory, it wasn't common anymore to get on a ship and raid other lands. The year 1066 is frequently used as a marker for the end of the Viking Age. At the Battle of Stanford Bridge, the Norwegian king Harald Hardrada was defeated. He was killed as he attempted to claim England. While not the last Viking raid or invasion, it certainly was the biggest. The Vikings didn't vanish or die out, they simply mixed and interbred with other cultures they settled in and adapted. The Viking Age may have ended, but the Norsemen remained. Thanks for watching.