History UsefulNotes / TheVikingAge

** A SuccessionCrisis in Francia in 841, provided enough regional instability for the Vikings to pilfer happily from underdefended monasteries and towns located in the Seine, Rhone and the Loire valleys. Of course, the raiders were not a unified group, and some of them became mercenaries hired by local lords and bishops to protect their land from others. This situation changed when Charles, King of West Francia, asserted himself to better defend his Kingdom. He built bridges in the Seine and the Loire and fortified towns and abbeys. In response to this, the Vikings turned their attention back to England.

* ''Film/TheVikings'' (1958), a Hollywoodian adaptation of ''Literature/TheViking'', itself loosely based on ''Literature/RagnarLodbrokAndHisSons''.

* ''Film/TheRavenTrilogy'' (1984-1991), an Icelandic film series .
* ''Film/TheThirteenthWarrior'' (1999), a heavily fictionalized tale about Arab Muslim traveler Ahmad ibn Fadlan accompanying a group of Varangians.
* ''Film/ValhallaRising'' (2009)
* ''Film/TheNorthman'' (2022), a {{revenge}} story based off [[Literature/GestaDanorum the legend of Amleth]].

Their travels and territorial reach spread far and wide, becoming the first civilization to explore four continents (North America, Europe, Northwest Asia, North Africa). They also revived and built trade routes between Western and Eastern Europe; playing a key role in the Christianization of the Slavic Tribes and the founding of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. For a long time, historians and chronicles, basing themselves on their medieval reputation and inspired by nationalist accounts of defending the homeland against invaders have deprecated the Vikings and their culture. This changed in the age of UsefulNotes/TheEnlightenment and UsefulNotes/{{Romanticism}}, first in the Scandinavian nations and then in Victorian England. Modern views tend to be more balanced about the role played by the Vikings. The historian Fernand Braudel noted in his ''A History of Civilizations'' that "Economic historians" are "indulgent towards the Vikings" because "by putting back into circulation the treasures that they pillaged, especially from the Church, they reactivated capital" and trade which had been dormant since the end of UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire.

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders (okay, {{pirate}}s), explorers, and traders whose famous [[IconicItem iconic]] [[CoolBoat longships]] allowed them to serve simultaneously as a merchant, marine, and riverine power, navigating both deep and shallow waters. They made inroads into [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom Britain]], UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sicily}}, the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire and the area of land known as UsefulNotes/KievanRus. They settled in UsefulNotes/{{Greenland}} and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to become a permanent settlement, known today as "L'Anse aux Meadows" in Newfoundland in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}. Their [[IHaveManyNames many names]] illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially, they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. The Eastern Romans called them Varangians and the Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom is known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word for raider, which referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.[[note]]As a result, some historians have suggested "The Late Germanic Iron Age" or "The Scandinavian Expansion Period" as alternate and more fitting names for describing the period.[[/note]]

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia -- mostly from modern day UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} and UsefulNotes/{{Norway}}, but also from UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} -- and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders (okay, {{pirate}}s), explorers, and traders whose famous [[IconicItem iconic]] [[CoolBoat longships]] allowed them to serve simultaneously as a merchant, marine, and riverine power, navigating both deep and shallow waters. They made inroads into [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom Britain]], UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sicily}}, the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire and the area of land known as UsefulNotes/KievanRus. They settled in UsefulNotes/{{Greenland}} and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to become a permanent settlement, known today as "L'Anse aux Meadows" in Newfoundland in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}. Their [[IHaveManyNames many names]] illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially, they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. The Eastern Romans called them Varangians and the Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom is known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word for raider, which referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.[[note]]As a result, some historians have suggested "The Late Germanic Iron Age" or "The Scandinavian Expansion Period" as alternate and more fitting names for describing the period.[[/note]]

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders (okay, {{pirate}}s), explorers, and traders whose famous [[IconicItem iconic]] [[CoolBoat longships]] allowed them to serve simultaneously as a merchant, marine, and riverine power, navigating both deep and shallow waters. They made inroads into [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom Britain]], UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sicily}}, the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire and the area of land known as UsefulNotes/KievanRus. They settled in UsefulNotes/{{Greenland}} and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to become a permanent settlement, known today as "L'Anse aux Meadows" in Newfoundland in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}. Their [[IHaveManyNames many names]] illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially, they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. The Eastern Romans called them Varangians and the Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom is known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word for raider, which referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.[[note]]As a result, some historians have suggested "The Late Germanic Iron Age" or "The Scandinavian Expansion Period" as alternate and more fitting names for describing the period.[[/note]]

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia -- mostly from modern day UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} and UsefulNotes/{{Norway}}, but also from UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} -- and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders (okay, {{pirate}}s), explorers, and traders whose famous [[IconicItem iconic]] [[CoolBoat longships]] allowed them to serve simultaneously as a merchant, marine, and riverine power, navigating both deep and shallow waters. They made inroads into [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom Britain]], UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sicily}}, the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire and the area of land known as UsefulNotes/KievanRus. They settled in UsefulNotes/{{Greenland}} and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to become a permanent settlement, known today as "L'Anse aux Meadows" in Newfoundland in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}. Their [[IHaveManyNames many names]] illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially, they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. The Eastern Romans called them Varangians and the Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom is known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word for raider, which referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.[[note]]As a result, some historians have suggested "The Late Germanic Iron Age" or "The Scandinavian Expansion Period" as alternate and more fitting names for describing the period.[[/note]]

* The flashbacks in the ''Series/GhostsUS'' episodes “Viking Funeral” and “The Baby Bjorn” are set in this era.

The Viking Age [[DawnOfAnEra begins with]] the 793 CE raid on the Lindisfarne Monastery. This attack was far from the first of its kind[[note]]There are quite a few older historical records describing both Germanic and Gaelic tribes making similar sea-based raids. Some of these were even conflated with early Viking activity, until later scholars attempted to apply a more strict definition.[[/note]], but it captured in much PurpleProse how the medieval chronicles cemented the legend of the Northmen, as pagans and heathens whose lust for riches and plunder did not waver before any act of blasphemy and impiety. A major frustration for historians until very recently, is the fact the primary sources of the Viking Era come from the perspective of their enemies. The earliest known written materials from the views of the Northern peoples is from the medieval era after they had assimilated and converted to Christianity and become part of their native and/or settler kingdoms. Modern historians use numismatic studies of coins, relics (such as the Runestones across Sweden and England, graves and other markers across Russia and Ukraine), and other materials (such as the few surviving longships and the famous helmet) to reconstruct aspects of their culture.

The Viking Age [[DawnOfAnEra begins with]] the 793 CE raid on the Lindisfarne Monastery. This attack was far from the first of its kind (there are quite a few older historical records describing both Germanic and Irish/Gaelic tribes making similar sea-based raids), but it captured in much PurpleProse how the medieval chronicles cemented the legend of the Northmen, as pagans and heathens whose lust for riches and plunder did not waver before any act of blasphemy and impiety. A major frustration for historians until very recently, is the fact the primary sources of the Viking Era come from the perspective of their enemies. The earliest known written materials from the views of the Northern peoples is from the medieval era after they had assimilated and converted to Christianity and become part of their native and/or settler kingdoms. Modern historians use numismatic studies of coins, relics (such as the Runestones across Sweden and England, graves and other markers across Russia and Ukraine), and other materials (such as the few surviving longships and the famous helmet) to reconstruct aspects of their culture.

The Viking Age [[DawnOfAnEra begins with]] the 793 CE raid on the Lindisfarne Monastery. This attack was far from the first of its kind (there are quite a few older historical records describing both Germanic and Irish tribes making similar sea-based raids), but it captured in much PurpleProse how the medieval chronicles cemented the legend of the Northmen, as pagans and heathens whose lust for riches and plunder did not waver before any act of blasphemy and impiety. A major frustration for historians until very recently, is the fact the primary sources of the Viking Era come from the perspective of their enemies. The earliest known written materials from the views of the Northern peoples is from the medieval era after they had assimilated and converted to Christianity and become part of their native and/or settler kingdoms. Modern historians use numismatic studies of coins, relics (such as the Runestones across Sweden and England, graves and other markers across Russia and Ukraine), and other materials (such as the few surviving longships and the famous helmet) to reconstruct aspects of their culture.

The Viking Age [[DawnOfAnEra begins with]] the 793 CE raid on the Lindisfarne Monastery. This attack was far from the first of its kind (there are quite a few older historical records describing both Germanic and Irish tribes making similar sea-based raids), but it captured in much PurpleProse in the medieval chronicles cemented the legend of the Northmen, as pagans and heathens whose lust for riches and plunder did not waver before any act of blasphemy and impiety. A major frustration for historians until very recently, is the fact the primary sources of the Viking Era come from the perspective of their enemies. The earliest known written materials from the views of the Northern peoples is from the medieval era after they had assimilated and converted to Christianity and become part of their native and/or settler kingdoms. Modern historians use numismatic studies of coins, relics (such as the Runestones across Sweden and England, graves and other markers across Russia and Ukraine), and other materials (such as the few surviving longships and the famous helmet) to reconstruct aspects of their culture.

The Viking Age [[DawnOfAnEra begins with]] the 793 CE raid on the Lindisfarne Monastery. This attack was not the first of its kind (there are quite a few older historical records describing both Germanic and Irish tribes making similar sea-based raids), but it captured in much PurpleProse in the medieval chronicles cemented the legend of the Northmen, as pagans and heathens whose lust for riches and plunder did not waver before any act of blasphemy and impiety. A major frustration for historians until very recently, is the fact the primary sources of the Viking Era come from the perspective of their enemies. The earliest known written materials from the views of the Northern peoples is from the medieval era after they had assimilated and converted to Christianity and become part of their native and/or settler kingdoms. Modern historians use numismatic studies of coins, relics (such as the Runestones across Sweden and England, graves and other markers across Russia and Ukraine), and other materials (such as the few surviving longships and the famous helmet) to reconstruct aspects of their culture.

The Viking Age [[DawnOfAnEra begins with]] the 793 CE raid on the Lindisfarne Monastery. This attack captured in much PurpleProse in the medieval chronicles cemented the legend of the Northmen, as pagans and heathens whose lust for riches and plunder did not waver before any act of blasphemy and impiety. A major frustration for historians until very recently, is the fact the primary sources of the Viking Era come from the perspective of their enemies. The earliest known written materials from the views of the Northern peoples is from the medieval era after they had assimilated and converted to Christianity and become part of their native and/or settler kingdoms. Modern historians use numismatic studies of coins, relics (such as the Runestones across Sweden and England, graves and other markers across Russia and Ukraine), and other materials (such as the few surviving longships and the famous helmet) to reconstruct aspects of their culture.

** ''Series/VikingsValhalla'' is the sequel to the above by Creator/{{Netflix}}, taking place one hundred years after it.

* ''Literature/TheLongShips'', a Swedish novel.
* ''Literature/TheMonkAndTheViking''

* ''Literature/TheSaxonStories''

* ''Film/TheVikings'', 1958 Hollywood adaptation of ''Literature/TheViking'', itself loosely based on ''Literature/RagnarLodbrokAndHisSons''.

* ''Film/TheNorthman'' (2022)

The era made a sizable impact in song, memory, language, and culture, but is notorious among historians, both academic and popular, for leaving precious little information in hard historical facts. The warriors came from Scandinavia -- mostly from modern day UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} and UsefulNotes/{{Norway}}, but also from UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} -- and charted a course that took them to areas further and beyond their land or origin. They were raiders (okay, {{pirate}}s), explorers, and traders whose famous [[IconicItem iconic]] [[CoolBoat longships]] allowed them to serve simultaneously as a merchant, marine, and riverine power, navigating both deep and shallow waters. They made inroads into [[UsefulNotes/UnitedKingdom Britain]], UsefulNotes/{{France}}, UsefulNotes/{{Spain}}, UsefulNotes/{{Sicily}}, the UsefulNotes/ByzantineEmpire and the area of land known as UsefulNotes/KievanRus. They settled in UsefulNotes/{{Greenland}} and also sent an expedition into North America that failed to become a permanent settlement, known today as "L'Anse aux Meadows" in Newfoundland in UsefulNotes/{{Canada}}. Their [[IHaveManyNames many names]] illustrates how wide they spread their net. Initially, they were simply called Danes or heathens; the Irish distinguished between 'white' and 'black' foreigners (Finngall and Dubgall respectively). In Eastern Europe, the Slavs called the Scandinavian invaders Rus, a Finnish word for the Svear Swedish settlers, which means "rowers" or "oarsmen", and which was perhaps a source for the name of UsefulNotes/{{Russia}}. The Eastern Romans called them Varangians and the Frankish called them Normanni (Northmen), and the region of France where one of the Vikings settled and gained a Dukedom is known as Normandy. The English were the first to call them Vikings, which was a Scandinavian word for raider, which referred to only one aspect of their society but in PopCultureOsmosis, is the name for an entire people, civilization and an era.

The period is commonly seen as [[EndOfAnAge coming to its end]] in 1066, with the Battle of Stamford Bridge, which took the life of the ambitious Norwegian king, Harald Hardrada, and thereby ended his attempt to claim the English throne. Although further major Scandinavian campaigns in Britain and Ireland took place in the following decades, such as those of King Sweyn Estrithson of Denmark in 1069-1070 and King Magnus Barefoot of Norway in 1098 and 1102-1103, it is generally understood that Hardrada's death was the endpoint for any serious attempt from the Scandinavians to regain their old foothold on the British Isles. With William the Conqueror gaining the English throne in 1066 (by a twist of historical irony, Hardrada's invasion attempt had inadvertently helped his victory along[[note]]William's invasion pretty much arrived just a few days after the Anglo-Saxon king Harold Godwinson defeated Hardrada, forcing Harold to march over 200 miles in a week while gathering forces on the way to reach the Normans. It is debated wheter the Anglo-Saxon forces were actually exhausted from their march (the Battle of Hastings still lasted a day) or if it was just their smaller numbers and less diverse variety of troops which could have been bolstered by taking more time to muster that could have conceivably changed the battle's outcome (feigned retreats were performed in the battle by the Normans, and the Anglo-Saxons' lack of cavalry or archers prevented them from effectively punishing such tactics)...not helped by how Harold was forced to disband his southern militia so they could make it to harvest a month before the battle started despite knowing the Normans were going to invade to that direction and he probably advanced toward Hastings with all speed to prevent the Normans from breaking from their beachhead (who already built fortifications and were raiding nearby).[[/note]]), the following century of the Isles would instead be defined by UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfNormandy, themselves descendants of the vikings. Meanwhile, in the East, the Scandinavian colonisers had by this time long since settled down and more or less blended into the local populations, having adopted Slavic languages, customs, and names.

** The settlers traded heavily in silver with Arab Kingdoms which led to further development of towns and villages in the Volga, Oka and Dniepr rivers. The biggest settlement became UsefulNotes/KievanRus, and much like their Western counterparts, the Vikings assimilated into Slavic customs, for instance Scandinavian names such as Ingvar, Helge, and Helga becoming Igor, Oleg, and Olga.[[note]]That is not say there there wasn't some cultural exchange back and forth; Valdemar, a popular Danish name that was prominently carried by three Danish Kings, was derived from the Slavic name Vladimir.[[/note]] Prince Vladimir of Kiev began the tradition of sending a retinue of Scandinavian warriors known as Varjagi to serve the Eastern Roman Emperor. Eventually, they became the famous Varangian Guard. One of the famous members of this guard was Harald Hadrada who became King of Norway in 1046.

* The Icelandic ''[[Film/TheRavenTrilogy Raven Trilogy]]''.
* ''Film/ValhallaRising''
* ''Film/TheNorthman''

* The Icelandic-Swedish ''[[Film/TheRavenTrilogy Raven Trilogy]]''.

* The Icelandic ''[[Film/TheRavenTrilogy Raven Trilogy]]''.

* ''Film/TheVikings'', 1958 adaptation of ''Literature/Theviking'', itself loosely based on ''Literature/RagnarLodbrokAndHisSons''.

* ''Series/{{Vikings}}'', by Creator/TheHistoryChannel. Perhaps the most high profile and successful Vikings-related live-action work in recent memory. It begins with the Lindisfarne raid in 793, follows the destiny of Ragnar Lodbrok and his descendants and ends in the 850s.

* ''Series/{{Vikings}}'', by Creator/TheHistoryChannel. Perhaps the most high profile and successful Vikings-related live-action work in recent memory. It begins with the Lindisfarne raid in 793, follows the destiny of Ragnar Lodbrok and his descendance and ends in the 850s.
** ''Series/VikingsValhalla'' is the sequel to the above by by Creator/{{Netflix}}, taking place one hundred years after it.

* ''Series/{{Vikings}}'', by Creator/TheHistoryChannel. Perhaps the most high profile and successful Vikings-related live-action work in recent memory.

* ''Film/TheVikings'', 1958 adaptation of ''Literature/Theviking'', itself loosely based on ''Ragnar Lodbrok and His Sons''.