1 Viking Invasions Why attack Europe How did they fight 2 Why were the Vikings successful Europe was much more advanced 3 4 Civilized VS Barbarian Impact of Exchange Sharing of civilizations The Viking Age 789 1066 AD 5 Viking Tribes 1 Visgoths 2 Franks 3 4 Angles and Saxons 5 Vandals Lombards Europe was Under Siege Arabs from the south Vikings from the north Lecture Outline Magyards ancient Hungarians from the east Scandinavia Sweden Norway Denmark Very cold place difficult to live here Sea people Vikings illiterate uncivilized Norse Mythology 3 tiered cosmology Odin Thor Leader of the gods Symbol is interlocking triangles Warrior god embodiment of Viking masculinity o Asgard Heaven home of the gods and resting place of Viking men Home of great banquet hall Valhalla o Midgard human world o Hel and Nefleim realm of the rock giants Hell Displays military and sexual prowess carries on battle against giants of Hel and Nefleim Women demi gods Fly over battle field and find the deserving men s souls and tak them to Valhalla and serve them Valkyries Culture based on masculinity Eric the Red 950 1003 AD Famous Viking an outcast who was kicked out of Norway and Ireland because he couldn t get along with anyone else Goes to Iceland and establishes a place there Lief Erikson 970 1020 AD Founded Vinland o Intrigued by undiscovered land Arrives in Newfoundland and calls it Vinland o Why Vinland He found naturally growing grapes o They had to abandon Vinland later First European in North America o Why do we celebrate Columbus instead of Lief Erikson We celebrate turning points in history Erikson did not successfully establish a foothold Columbus s expedition marks a change in world history Viking Invasions 8 th 11 th century Massive waves of Viking raiding parties Attacked as far as the Black Sea Attack at Lindisfarne Monastery They raided and plundered important cities like Paris and London Starts with this North of England where an important Christian center is located Associated with 1st missionary to convert the Angles and Saxons Lindisfarne Bible Illuminated Manuscript o Written in Latin but there were also pictures in the margins to illustrate what was going on in the text Why were the Vikings interested in this What made this attack effective 1 It happened suddenly o Money gold decorations money Lots of wealth kept here 2 By the 10th century Europe was Christianized so attacking the monastery was unthinkable Why were the Vikings Successful 1 Adaptation Good imitators quick learners metal hand to hand combat a They incorporate other cultures into their own 2 Naval Technology The ocean is becoming a much more important place a Viking Longboat Very long and shallow i Why was it shallow So it didn t displace a lot of water This allowed them to get close to the shore and to be able to move up river Also it made the boat faster 3 Metallurgy Rivaled and sometimes exceeded Europe s a Viking Armor Eric the Red had a long sword axe helmet no horns chainmail 4 Paganism In Christian culture monastery could protect people by providing sanctuary since other Christians would not kill in a sanctuary But those places weren t holy to the Vikings 5 Weak European States Charlemagne Emperor of Holy Roman Empire European Response Call Vikings Norsemen Tribute annually o Cheaper to pay an annual sum than it is to deal with plunder Fortresses A tower built 20 feet tall with the only access being a rope ladder that could be pulled in once the Vikings arrived o Built at the mouth of rivers o Provide shelter to protect people animals and belongings Grant Land for Settlement o This civilized the Vikings o Govern land and become nobles Example Duchy of Normandy King of France had problems with the most ruthless Viking Rollo The King gave him Normandy Changed Vikings forever Christianity o They married Christian women and gave up on many aspects of Viking culture Why did the Age of Vikings end in 1066 Battle of Hastings William the Conqueror Pattern of Christian Conversion Conversion abroad o Absorb culture and become Christian Kings Conversion at home o Back in Viking homeland Why exchange old concepts for new ones Political legitimacy This is an example of Tribalism Globalism or Chief Kingdoms Kings more people and more power Initially it was Scandinavia and Europe as separate cultures Now their cultures overlap But Christians don t like to exchange with non Christians Vikings changed because Easier to trade and conduct diplomatic missions Use Christianity as a tool to achieve this Effects of Christianity Transforms Viking culture o Pick up Latin and agriculture Political Influence Education o Assimilate Vikings by getting rid of Viking culture Alphabet Written System Norse Mythology Why was this counter effective They re able to write down their old religion and preserve it Old New The same tools used to teach new religion preserves old religion Effects on European States Most effective weapons against Vikings Christianity France o Undergoing expansion o Charlemagne cannot rule the large empire he conquered because it can t defend itself Nobles must take charge of defense Feudalism Tribalism Globalism Feudalism Empire Feudalism France going back to square one England o Anglo Saxon Britain Heptarchy 7 different kingdoms o Stronger central control o Alfred of Wessex First defeat of Viking invasion opposite of France s fate Effects of Viking Age The creation of Fortress Europe very strong militarily Christianization of Scandanavia Norman Conquest in Europe o Example Battle of Hastings