How were the vikings a part, or reflection, of bigger events happening throughout the world?
June 4th, 2008 | by admin |
king pin asked:
How were the vikings a part, or reflection, of bigger events happening throughout the world?
Edgar
How were the vikings a part, or reflection, of bigger events happening throughout the world?
Edgar
One Response to “How were the vikings a part, or reflection, of bigger events happening throughout the world?”
By Elise K on Jun 5, 2008 | Reply
It is thought by many historians that the Viking Age was in part a result of the better growing conditions in Scandinavia during the last period of “global warming” (known as the “Medieval War Period”). Because of the better harvests, there was a population boom, and the “excess” population had to go somewhere, which prompted first raids and then settlement in Britain, Ireland, Iceland, northern France (Normandy) and Russia (the name “Rus” comes from a Swedish viking tribe).
Some other historians point out that the first Viking raid against Lindisfarne, a Christian monastic community and it occurred in 793, only 20 years after Charlemagne had ordered the destruction of the Irminsul Tree in Teutobourg, a center of Germanic Pagan worship. The theory is the the Viking age was prompted by religious conflict.
However, by far the most popular theory is that Viking Age was the last ripple of the Migration Era, a period of migration and massive displacement of peoples throughout north and central Europe that may have been originally prompted by unrest in Central Asia). Once they got to the sea (and Scandinavia in the extreme north-west of Europe is as far as you can go), there was no one left to displace, and the most recently displaced peoples (the Norse) turned to raiding their neighbours by ship.
Personally, I think the truth is a combination of all three.