TheVikingsTheLi,leToldStoryofScandanaviaintheDarkAges

TheViking(moderndayDanes,Norwegians,andSwedes)seafaringexcursionsoccurredfromabout780to1070AD.TheystartedraidingandpillaginginthenorthBalCcregionofEurope.Bythemid900s(10thcentury)theyhadestablishedsuchapermanentpresenceacrossFranceandEnglandthattheyweresimplypaidoff(“Danegeld”)tocohabitateinpeace.TheyconqueredmostofEngland,astheRomanshad,buttheydiditinonly15years!TheyformedlegalsystemsinEnglandthatformedthebasisofBri>shCommonLaw,whichatoneCmewouldlatergovernthemajorityoftheworld.Theyeventuallyadaptedthewesternmonarchyformofgovernment,convertedtoChrisCanity,andintegratedintoFrance,England,Germany,Italy,Russia,Syria,andoutintotheAtlanCc.TheyalsobroughtChrisCanitybacktotheirhomecountries,setupmonarchies,andforgedthecountriesofNorway,Denmark,Sweden,andRussia.ItwasthedirectdescendantoftheVikings(fromNormandy)wholedthecaptureofJerusalemduringtheFirstCrusade.

TheRomansdominatedEurope,Africa,theMiddleEast,andEngland.TheynevercouldconquertheGermanicpeopletothenorth.TheGermanicpeoplesackedRomethreeCmesbetween435and489CE.

ABertheFallofRome,amassmigraConofGermanicpeopleoccurredtothewest(toFranceandEngland).TheFrisianswereatthecenterofagreattraderoutebetweenthenorthernGermans(“Nordsman”)andbulkofGermanicpeoplesnowinwesternEurope.

Theshipsofthedaywerethehulkandthecog.TheseshipsweregoodforhuggingthecoastsandpenetraCngintodeepriversystems.Theyhadnokeel,northestrengthtonavigatetheopenoceans.

HighTechinthe400s-700s

Meanwhile,theRomanEmpiresurvivedonastheByzan>neEmpirewithitscapitalinConstanCnople(nowIstanbul).ThepowervacuuminAfrica,Spain,andtheMiddleEastallowedforthevastexpansionoftheIslamic/MuslimCaliphs.EvenChinabecomes50%Muslim.

By800CE,TheArabicworldhadanempirelargerthantheRomanEmpire.Theirlandsliterallyconnectedtheeasternandwesternworlds.TheyhadnoneedforoceangoingtransportaCon-thedesertwastheirsea.

By800CE,westernEuropewasorganizedintoamonarchy,TheCarolingianEmpire,whichwassubservienttotheHolyRomanChurch.EasternEuropewasasourceofslaves(the“Slavs”)tradedtotheArabstosupporttheirvastEmpire.

KingCharlemagnehadconsolidatedwesternEurope,andtheAnglo-SaxonshadpopulatedEngland,buthadnotunitedEnglandintoasingleempireyet.ItwouldtaketheVikingraidsforEnglandtoeventuallyunite.

By800CE,Englandhadfourmainrivalkingdoms.ThecityofYorkwasthecapitalofNorthumbria.NotetheaccesstoYorkviariversystems.InWessex,theonlykingdomnotconqueredbytheVikings,thecapitalwasWinchester.ThisiswhereKingAlfredtheGreatheldhisgroundandbegantheunificaConofEngland.

KingAlfredtheGreatTheFirstEnglishKingacerdefeaCngtheVikingsanduniCngallofEngland

TheDanelawRegionofEnglandKingdomofGuthrum KingAlfredTheGreathaltedthe

southernadvanceoftheDanesandthenfoughtbackunClastalematewasreachedinabout900AD.ThreegeneraConslatertheDanestookoverallofEnglandandruledakingdomacrossEnglandANDScandanavia(KingCnutTheGreat).

AcerCharlemagne’sdeathin814,histhreesonsdividedhiskingdom.ThesedivisionsbecamemoderndayFrance,Germany,andeventuallySwitzerland.

InwhatisnowNorway,Denmark,andSweden,thenorthGermanicpeople(Nordsman),weregroupedintosmallautonomouslocalizedkingdoms.ThecompeCConandpopulaConpressureforferClelandwasfierce.Viathetraderoutes,wordofferClelandsandundefendedrichmonasteriesreachedthem.Also,aspartoftheirreligiousbeliefs,conquering,bravery,andgloryinbaeleraisedthemtothehigher“GreatHalls”oftheiracerlife.TheysetoutforthelandsofEuropeandEngland.

Allmalesweretrainedinwarriorskillsfromchildhood.Theywerealldisciplinedandhardenedfromtheharshcoldclimate,andweremadestrongandfitbytheirrowinginarmiesledby“seakings”.ThemiliCaoftheEnglishontheotherhandwereasmallprofessionalelite-Englisharmieswerepredominantlysimpleuntrainedfarmersandblacksmiths.Theygottheirarmorhandedtothemwithease.Thustheoriginoftrainedstandingarmies-thanksVikings.)

Vikingshadlightarmor,andwereexpertswiththeaxeandspear.

Theycreatedshieldwallstosuckintheenemyandthenwouldmopthemup.

Vikingsdevelopedashipcalledtheknarr.Ithadamast,akeel,andores.Ithadaveryshallowdracthatcouldgetupriverseasilyanditcouldnavigatetheopenseas.

VikingscouldenteratownquietlyandquicklyandcommandtotalsurprisefollowedbyfiercefighCng.Vikingscouldnavigatethecountryatthree>mesthespeedofmarchingtroops.

HighTechnologyStepsIn..

RaidsandSeelementsoftheNorwegians,Danes,andSwedish(800-1000).PoliCcalMapis900CE.NotemodernFrance,Germany,Switzerland,andSpaindivisionsareinplace,whereSpainisArabic.Note“white”RussiansareSwedish.

SimplifiedversionofpredominantVikingpathwaysviatheseas…notetheinfiltraConofRussiaandConstanCnople.VikingsdominatedthetraderoutesthroughallofEurope.

TheNorthernTradeRoutedominatedbytheVikings.

Bythe1200s,the”Vikings”tookthepoliCcsofmonarchieshomeandestablishedthreekingdoms,Norway,Sweden,andDenmark.Thedevelopmentoftheseseparatekingdomsisanamazingstoryinitself.TheyalladoptedChrisCanity.

Toinfinityandbeyond…

BreakingNewFronCersHadthisnotcometoanend,CanadaandNorthAmericawouldprobablybespeakingsomeformoflanguagebetweenScandinavianandGerman,likeisdoneinIceland.

In986,BjarniHerjolfssontriedtofindhisfather,whohadmigratedfromIcelandtoGreenland.BjarniovershotGreenland,and,realizinghehadarrivedatanunchartedland,turnedaroundtogobacktoGreenlandwithouteverhavingsteppedfootonthenewland.

In1001,LeifEricssonpurchasedBjarni’sship,collected35men,andsetouttofindthelandBjarnihaddiscovered.Ericsson’screwwinteredthereandreturnedtoGreenlandbysummer’end.

Shortlythereacer,Leif’sbrotherThorvaldtookacrewof30toVinlandandseeledLeif’sencampment.Thefirstsummertheyexploredthecoast,butduringtheirsecondsummerencounteredhosClenaCveswhodrovethembacktoGreenland.

AfirstaeemptatcolonizingVinlandwasthenledbyThorfinKarlsefni,oneofLeif’sin-laws,whogatheredover250menonthreeships.TheytradedwiththenaCves(Skraelings),buteventuallyweredrivenoutandbacktoGreenland.

Leif’s(crazy)sister,Freydis,whohadpreviouslyslappedherbreastswithaswordtostoptheSkraelingaeacks,organizedafinalexpediCon,butfoundLeif’shouseoccupied;shehadalloccupyingmenandwomenofthatpartykilled.Thenextspring,uponthereturntoGreenlandhercrimeswererevealedandLeifputacurseonallofheroffspring.

Epilogue:By1020therewerenomoreVikingseelementsinVinland.

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

Thedevelopedtraderoutessenngthestageforthecomingages…