TheVikingsTheLittleToldStoryofScandanavia intheDarkAges

TheViking(moderndayDanes,Norwegians,andSwedes)seafaringexcursionsoccurredfromabout780to1070AD.TheystartedraidingandpillaginginthenorthBalticregionofEurope.Bythemid900s(10thcentury)theyhadestablishedsuchapermanentpresenceacrossFranceandEnglandthattheyweresimplypaidoff(“Danegeld”)tocohabitateinpeace.

TheyconqueredmostofEngland,astheRomanshad,buttheydiditinonly15years!TheyformedlegalsystemsinEnglandthatformedthebasisofBritishCommonLaw,whichatonetimewouldlatergovernthemajorityoftheworld.

Theyeventuallyadaptedthewesternmonarchy formofgovernment,converted toChristianity,andintegratedintoFrance,England,Germany,Italy,Russia,Syria,andoutintotheAtlantic.

TheyalsobroughtChristianitybacktotheirhomecountries,setupmonarchies,andforgedthecountriesofNorway,Denmark,Sweden,andRussia.

ItwasthedirectdescendantoftheVikings(fromNormandy)wholedthecaptureofJerusalemduringtheFirstCrusade.

TheRomansdominatedEurope,Africa,theMiddleEast,andEngland.TheynevercouldconquertheGermanicpeopletothenorth.TheGermanicpeoplesackedRomethreetimesbetween435and489CE.

Meanwhile,theRomanEmpiresurvivedonastheByzantineEmpirewithitscapitalinConstantinople(nowIstanbul).

ThepowervacuuminAfrica,Spain,andtheMiddleEastallowedforthevastexpansionoftheIslamic/MuslimCaliphs.EvenChinabecomes50%Muslim.

By800CE,TheArabicworldhadanempirelargerthantheRomanEmpire.Theirlandsliterallyconnectedtheeasternandwesternworlds.Theyhadnoneedforoceangoingtransportation- thedesertwastheirsea.

KingCharlemagnehadconsolidatedwesternEurope,andtheAnglo-SaxonshadpopulatedEngland,buthadnotunitedEnglandintoasingleempireyet.ItwouldtaketheVikingraidsforEnglandtoeventuallyunite.

AfterCharlemagne’sdeathin814,histhreesonsdividedhiskingdom.

ThesedivisionsbecamemoderndayFrance,Germany,andeventuallySwitzerland.

TheDanelaw RegionofEnglandKingdomofGuthrum KingAlfredTheGreathaltedthe

southernadvanceoftheDanesandthenfoughtbackuntilastalematewasreachedinabout900AD.

ThreegenerationslatertheDanestookoverallofEnglandandruledakingdomacrossEnglandANDScandanavia (KingCnutTheGreat).

Allmalesweretrainedinwarriorskillsfromchildhood.Theywerealldisciplinedandhardenedfromtheharshcoldclimate,andweremadestrongandfitbytheirrowinginarmiesledby“seakings”.

ThemilitiaoftheEnglishontheotherhandwereasmallprofessionalelite- Englisharmieswerepredominantly simpleuntrainedfarmersandblacksmiths.Theygottheirarmorhandedtothemwithease (thustheoriginoftrainedstandingarmies- thanksVikings.)

Vikingshadlightarmor,andwereexpertswiththeaxeandspear.

Theycreatedshieldwallstosuckintheenemyandthenwouldmopthemup.

Vikingsdevelopedashipcalledtheknarr.Ithadamast,akeel,andores.Ithadaveryshallowdraftthatcouldgetupriverseasilyanditcouldnavigatetheopenseas.

Vikingscouldenteratownquietlyandquicklyandcommandtotalsurprisefollowedbyfiercefighting.

Vikingscouldnavigatethecountryatthreetimesthespeedofmarchingtroops.

HighTechnologyStepsIn..

RaidsandSettlementsoftheNorwegians,Danes,andSwedish(800-1000).PoliticalMapis900CE.NotemodernFrance,Germany,Switzerland,andSpaindivisionsareinplace,whereSpainisArabic.Note“white”RussiansareSwedish.

Bythe1200s,the”Vikings”tookthepoliticsofmonarchieshomeandestablishedthreekingdoms,Norway,Sweden,andDenmark.Thedevelopmentoftheseseparatekingdomsisanamazingstoryinitself.TheyalladoptedChristianity.

Toinfinityandbeyond…

In986,Bjarni Herjolfsson triedtofindhisfather,whohadmigratedfromIcelandtoGreenland.Bjarni overshotGreenland,and,realizinghehadarrivedatanunchartedland,turnedaroundtogobacktoGreenlandwithouteverhavingsteppedfootonthenewland.

In1001,LeifEricssonpurchasedBjarni’s ship,collected35men,andsetouttofindthelandBjarni haddiscovered.Ericsson’screwwinteredthereandreturnedtoGreenlandbysummer’end.

Shortlythereafter,Leif’sbrotherThorvald tookacrewof30toVinlandandsettledLeif’sencampment.Thefirstsummertheyexploredthecoast,butduringtheirsecondsummerencounteredhostilenativeswhodrovethembacktoGreenland.

AfirstattemptatcolonizingVinlandwasthenledbyThorfin Karlsefni,oneofLeif’sin-laws,whogatheredover250menonthreeships.Theytradedwiththenatives(Skraelings),buteventuallyweredrivenoutandbacktoGreenland.

Leif’s(crazy)sister,Freydis,whohadpreviouslyslappedherbreastswithaswordtostoptheSkraeling attacks,organizedafinalexpedition,butfoundLeif’shouseoccupied;shehadalloccupyingmenandwomenofthatpartykilled.Thenextspring,uponthereturntoGreenlandhercrimeswererevealedandLeifputacurseonallofheroffspring.

Epilogue:By1020therewerenomoreVikingsettlementsinVinland.

Thedevelopedtraderoutessettingthestageforthecomingages…

By1200traderoutesincludedtheeast-westroutecalledtheSilkRoad.NotetheMuslimscontrolledallroutesthroughPersia,Arabia,andEgypt.NoEuropeancouldtradedirectlywiththeEast,until…