History Summarized: The Viking Age

The Vikings are enjoying a new wave of enthusiasm in popular culture, but these seafaring Norsemen are still quite clearly a misunderstood force in medieval European history. So let's take a wide look at the European world during The Viking Age!

SOURCES & Further Reading: "The Vikings" by Walaker Nordeide and Edwards, "Vikings: A Very Short Introduction" by Richards, "Age of the Vikings" and "The Conversion of Scandinavia" by Winroth, "The Vikings" By Harl via The Great Courses, "The Viking World" by Graham-Campbell, "The Viking Way" by Price

Our content is intended for teenage audiences and up.

[Ludohistory]

Thanks so much for having me on and letting me help out! It was a lot of fun (even if I talked a little too fast sometimes)! To clarify a piece that I know I did cover too briefly- missionary trips to Scandinavia occurred in Denmark around 823, on the orders of Louis the Pious, and in Sweden in 829, when Ansgar, a Frankish monk, traveled to the town of Birka, where he found a very small Christian community, probably mostly enslaved or formerly enslaved people, and converted a couple of Norse people, including the town prefect. (The graveyard for that town, incidentally, is where the 10th century "female warrior" that made waves a few years ago was buried).

There's a lot we didn't get a chance to talk about about the diaspora and its ending, so if there's anything you all are curious on or find unclear, let me know here or on twitter :)

Finally, if you liked this, all the VODs for my personal streams (where I try to ramble about history in games) can be found by clicking on my name, and tomorrow I'll be streaming CKIII on twitch (link in the description)!

[Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

Scandinavian Trading Policy:
"Excuse me, sir. Let me ask you..."
"No." _starts walking away_
"Okay, then let me axe you..."

[sigridhorn]

Blue: *talking about slavery*
Cleocatra: "Pay attention to me! Pay attention to ME! GIVE ME PATS!!!"
Blue: *turns into gushy mess, gives pats*
Cleo: *happy cat, best cat*

[peterp.]

'Who would've guessed that "Become French" would be such an efficient strategy?' Gotta get that 20% morale of armies.

[LeviathanSpeaks]

Early Viking Age: “This is a pillaging!” Middle Viking Age: “This is an extortion!” Late Viking Age: “Greetings, fellow Christians. Would you like to buy some furs from us?”

[persephoneklein]

Vikings summed up in two sentences: These aren't your average, every-day pirates These are . . . ADVANCED pirates

[kortmann]

Blue: *talking about slavery*

Cleo: "I know a thing or two about that, my human slave."

Blue: _"so cute!"_

[solisemporium]

“Aggressive trading”

Ah yes, the chapter after “Aggressive negotiations: negotiations with lightsabers” the one written by A. Skywalker

[insomniac]

Me: Aren’t Norse people Vikings?
Blue: *Explains stuff*
Me: Understandable, have a nice day

[yserareborn]

Fellow history major here! Fun fact: the French probably didn’t give the Vikings land just because they were broke. Most of the land given was northern coastal land, which is valuable for trade but also meant these Vikings would act as a buffer against other Vikings for the rest of France.

[BrotherPo]

Just a note about amber trading:
The Scandinavians basically fished amber out of the sea. It's just crystallized pine resin, and the rough seas would sweep it off of trees, where it could then be dredged up. It was decently common, but immensely valuable because of the way the Scandinavians did advertising. Each culture they traded with had their own mythical explanation of how amber was formed, usually something along the lines of it being sun juice that solidified when it hit the ground. The Scandinavians went around actively promoting these beliefs despite not believing them in the slightest, jacking up the price of amber to an insane degree.

"Sail, sack, steal, sell, celebrate. And the Europeans were horrified.” should be a shirt.

[danielmessier]

"History is 20% iffy nomenclature by mass" Just insanely accurate

[curiousKuro]

"Just like the Bull Shark!" - An analogy I would never have expected, yet is absolutely perfect.

[alec]

Scandinavian trader: I am here to trade my furs and not raid.
Western European: oh that’s great, but we don’t really need furs atm.
*scandinavian trader puts axe on table* I said I am here to trade my furs
Western European: Ok
*barter 100*

[saldan]

"Luckily these guys had trees for days so they become wizards at wood working"

So you're saying that IKEA is a result of environmental adaptation?

[izzy]

I demand more of Cleo’s opinions on historical events. Let the kitty be heard Blue!

[LazyVik]

red can you do a video on slavic mythology? Most people don't know anything about Slavic myths outside of Baba yaga or chernobog if they have watched night on bald mountain or play Smite

[cleothehermetichermeticist]

The Viking Age also known as


“The lads go on a holiday.”

[thomasrevill]

Red's absolute disdain for her maths degree fills me with strange joy