Notes on the Vikings, Saracens and Hungarians






...The Vikings : Origin : Scandinavia (Norway, Denmark, Sweden)
.....Incentive : lack of grain, access to sea/waterways facilitate trade
.....around 790 they figured out navigation following the stars, the compass

...Viking Raids
.....Lindisfarne 793 (English monastery), hit-and-run raids until ca. 825
.....Viking attacks involve more men; Vikings are strong enough to stand battle
.....Vikings establish themselves in Normandy, in Rhine River delta, in RUSSIA, Vikings establish DANELAW
.....King Alfred halts Viking advance, begins recovery of ground
.....in 885/887 Vikings cause reform of West and East Frankish Kingdom; true begin of French and German History
.....in 911 Viking Rollo is baptised and enfiefed with the County of Caen (which grew into the DUCHY OF NORMANDY)

...Viking Discoveries
Iceland (settled 930), Greenland, Vinland (settlement at L'Anse-aux-Meadows on Newfoundland)

...Viking foundations
.....Russian State by RURIK, late 9th century
.....Cities of Dublin, Waterford in Ireland
.....Republic of Iceland, with Althingi
.....Duchy of Normandy a product of Frankish feudalism and Viking organizational spirit, a model state influencing post-Norman-Conquest England and the (Norman) Kingdom of Sicily

...Viking trade
.....most important trade routes Russian rivers, leading to Black Sea (Constantinople) and Caspian Sea (Islamic Caliphate)
.....many coinhoards found in Scandinavia, large percentage of coins from Caliphate, Byzantium
.....when central Asian nomads cut trade route across lower Volga and Dnjepr, Viking trade deteriorated

...Other Viking activities
.....Vikings served in Constantinople's Palaca Guard

...End of Viking Era : with baptism - Vikings were pagans

...Viking literature
.....Sagas, most of them preserved (codified) on Iceland
.....Runic inscriptions (Futhark alphabet)
.....Beowulf

...Viking religion
.....polytheistic, with gods Ziu, Odin, Thor, Freir, Freya etc.; Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday named after them
.....gods warlike; Viking paradise called Valhalla, final destination for famous heroes. For a true Viking it is proper to die in battle
.....funeral on drifting, burning ship


...Saracens
.....targetted christian settlements on the coast of Western Mediterranean, attacked from ship
.....established strongholds at Fraxinetum/Le Freinet (Provence, France) and at Garigliano (Italy), from where mounted Saracens raided surrounding area, once as far as ST. GALLEN
.....finally defeated by regional force

...Hungarians (Magyars)
.....From the plains of Central Asia, horse riding nomads, arrived in Pannonian plain (Hungary) in 895; from there they raided western central Europe
.....Defeated in BATTLE OF LECHFELD 955 by Emperor Henry II., defeat ended the raids
.....Hungarians baptised around 1000

...Legacy
.....Raids from all directions raise the preparedness of English/ French/German/Italian society to defend itself. Fortifications were strengthened, new fortifications (bridges, mottes (early castles) built, the status of nobleman redefined - without horses no noble status. Feudalism was strengthened.


This page is part of World History at KMLA
Last revised on June 28th 2001

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