Viking
The Danish Kings of England
The most famous of these Scandinavian kings is Cnut or, as most of us know him, Canute. Even today, the story of his vain attempt to turn back the tides over a thousand years ago is still told (although this story is based on a misunderstanding), but what else do we know about him and his eighteen-year rule of England?…
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Viking Exploration and Colonization
Exploration and Colonization in the North Atlantic (870–1000) At about the same time that Alfred was beginning his heroic defence of Wessex against the great army (c.870), intrepid Norwegian mariners began exploring the ‘islands’ of the North Atlantic known to the ancients and contemporary historians like Bede as Thule –…
The Viking Onslaught
The reign of Charlemagne, however, would witness the beginnings of the Viking Age, aiding in the deterioration of centralized government in the Frankish realms and the rise of what is often defined as Feudalism in Europe. The Anglo-Saxons commonly called them ‘Danes’ or ‘heathens’. To the Franks, they were simply…
The Viking “Great Army”
The Operations of the ‘Great Army’ in Britain (865–79) The term ‘great army’, employed by several contemporary sources to describe this unusually large assemblage of Norse raiders, implies a huge horde of perhaps tens of thousands, but it most probably was not. Although no precise figures are given, it is…
The Danish Conquest of England (980–1016)
England - Murder of King Edward (978) The final chapter in the Viking saga unfolded as a decades-long competition among kings for control of England amidst a royal rivalry for the north. Though most of the key players were of Scandinavian descent, sea power played only a supporting role. Perhaps…
Viking Longships
Havhingsten fra Glendalough in dock. The Havhingsten is a faithful reconstruction of Skuldelev 2, the second longest Viking longship ever found. Skuldelev 2: The great longship Skuldelev 2 is a war machine, built to carry many warriors at high speed. With a crew of 65-70 men, it was a chieftain’s…
THE VIKINGS IN IRELAND 795–1014 Part I
Few places suffered more at the hands of the Vikings than Ireland. For the best part of 200 years the Vikings systematically milked Ireland of its people to supply the slave trade, yet, for all their military success they failed to conquer and settle in any territory besides a few…