Beginning in the late 700s, bands of fierce warriors from the North began terrorizing villages throughout Western Europe. These master sailors and trained fighters, raped, pillaged, murdered and enslaved whole villages. They were called Norsemen, Northmen, and Fjordsmen. But we know them today as Vikings.
Small in numbers (there was only about 2 million Vikings total), these crude warriors helped shape Europe, settling in various parts from Britain to Russia. Along with less savory activities, Vikings were responsible for the revitalization of European trade and commerce, following the collapse of the Roman Empire. They also established permanent colonies in England, Greenland and Russia.
What we know as the Vikings, were actually men made up of three different cultures- the Danes, the Norwegians and the Swedes. Despite coming from different places, these three groups were united in a language, culture and pagan religion. They were also united in an unrivaled thirst for wealth, land, and glory.
The Vikings in Western Europe
One of the earliest raids in Western Europe took place in North Umbria, along the coast of Great Britain, by the Danish Vikings. Less than 50 years later, the Vikings were going deep into countries, along river ways. In places like Rouen and Nantes in France, the Vikings would glide silently up the river in sleek ships, robbing churches and monasteries, murdering men and enslaving women and children. The Viking raids in Western Europe continued through the 1000 AD, when they eventually tapered off.
The Vikings in Russia
While the Danes traversed the North Sea and English Channel for their prey, the Swedish Vikings turned eastward. They patrolled the Baltic Sea and traveled down rivers deep into what is now Russia. They even went as far as the Byzantine capital of Constantinople. At Kiev the Vikings established permanent colonies and creating an entirely new culture that soon held no ties to Scandinavia.
The Vikings in the New World
Viking society was harsh, even if you were born into it. Those individuals who were shunned from society, for crimes like debt or murder, had no choice but to seek homes elsewhere. This is how many Vikings traveled far beyond Europe to places like Iceland, Greenland and even the coast of Canada and New England. Under Harald Fairhair, the first Viking king to unite a country, Viking colonies grew into permanent settlements.
No one knows for sure why the Vikings began their raids through Western Europe. Perhaps they were in need of more land. Or they had a lust for fame. Whatever the reason, the Vikings helped shaped European society, bringing it out of the Ancient World and into the Middle Ages.
Sources:
Barraclough, Geoffrey. Atlas of World History. Ann Arbor: Harper Collins, 2001.
Time-Life. Fury of the Northmen. Alexandria: Time-Life, 1988.
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