The World’s Greatest Civilizations: The History and Culture of the Vikings by Charles River Editors

Author:Charles River Editors [Editors, Charles River]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B008O9JBFO
Published: 2012-07-22T00:00:00+00:00

Europe

In Europe, Chalemagne (c. 742-814), the Holy Roman Emperor, had established an empire comprising most of the western and southern reaches of the continent. But these lands were also constantly harried by the Vikings, who made their first raid on the monastery Noirmoutier in the Loire region of France in 799, after which King Godfrid of Denmark pushed south into Schleswig on the border between Denmark and Germany. Fortifications were constructed by the Danes in the region to protect towns from raids of reprisal, but just before launching an attack on Charlemagne's capital at Aachen, Godfrid was killed and a civil war ensued. The sons of Godfrid, in order to solidify their power, sued for peace with Charlemagne's successor, Louis the Pious, and agreed to convert to Christianity.

Nevertheless, Viking warships were a continual threat along the Atlantic coast of continental Europe. In 820, a 13 ship Viking fleet from Denmark was driven off as it attempted to land in Flanders, and it was likewise defeated at the mouth of the Seine and along the Aquitaine coast. More successful in their incursion was a fleet of Norwegian Vikings under a leader called Asgeir that sailed up the Seine in 841 and burnt Rouen. Another invasion in 843 by 67 Viking ships devastated Nantes, and two years later a huge fleet of 120 Viking ships moved up the Seine and threatened Paris. These Vikings were bought off with a payment of silver by the French king, and thereafter they were used as mercenaries in French internecine wars and were hired to ensure that other Vikings did not attack and devastate the French king's territory.

Despite those measures, peace was not long lasting. In 885 the Vikings attacked Paris with a vast fleet, and they did so again in 911, after which they were bought off again by the French king, Charles the Simple. The French king hired the Viking Rollo (who may have been a Dane), from the Hebrides, to guard the mouth of the Seine and gave him lands that were later to become the duchy of Normandy. Rollo was given Charles's daughter Gisla as a wife. Rollo restored order to Normandy through an autocratic government and was converted to Christianity, baptized, and given the Christian name Robert.

Very little evidence of Viking material culture has been found by archaeologists in the territories in which they settled, suggesting they underwent a fairly rapid assimilation. Nevertheless, evidence of their presence exists in Normandy, where there are many place names of Scandinavian origin, including those names ending with bec, hogue, and tor. Moreover, some names of families living in Normandy today are Latinized versions of Scandinavian names.

At the time the Vikings were settling in Normandy, the Danish King Horic sent a fleet to attack towns along the Elbe, where they laid waste the monasteries and carried off slaves. This was followed by a period of constant warfare in the Carolingian empire. Vikings from Sweden invaded the eastern Baltic in the 9th century and established settlements from which Norse ships pushed south as far Constantinople.

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