Why were the Vikings able to invade Europe for three hundred years? The Rise of a People in the Nordic Viking Legend: Who Unified the North Sea? Three of the expanding Viking trade circles plundered and colonized rapidly and continuously: the Normans who conquered England wantonly established the "North Sea Empire" of the Danish Viking longships - the Vikings' "patrons" across the seas landed "commercial revival" and Vikings

As the word Viking indicates, the Vikings moved around Europe, especially the Nordic region, then settled down and traded throughout Northern Europe. The Vikings can be said to have built a Nordic business network, a well-deserved "migrant worker".

<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > the rise of a nation: Who unified the North Sea? </h1>

Europe is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and the North Sea and the Baltic Sea to the north. The Mediterranean region, not limited to Venetian merchants, as for the North Sea and the Baltic sea region, the focus was on the Vikings.

In the public perception, the Vikings have always had a distinct image of "predators". But according to current research, the Vikings were not just predators, they were also engaged in trade in many places.

In fact, it was impossible to make a strict distinction between plunder and trade in the Middle Ages. Moreover, in recent years, the remains of the urban areas built by the Vikings in the past have been excavated in many areas outside of Scandinavia. All this shows that the Vikings used to trade in different places.

Let's start with a few specific examples. About 30 km west of Stockholm in Sweden, there is a Björk Island on Lake Mälaren in southeastern Sweden, and there is a city on the island, Birka. Birka was one of the Viking trading posts.

Others, such as Khedby in the south of Jutland, Denmark, York in the United Kingdom, Dublin in the Irish Sea, and Leon in France, are all famous urban settlements. After archaeological excavations, it was confirmed that these places were trading strongholds.

The Vikings expanded, green was the area they often plundered, and the rest was the area they gradually conquered and settled.

It can be seen that the trade network of the Vikings was very large. It can even be said that the Vikings were the "Phoenicians of the North" in Europe, who integrated the North Sea and the Baltic Sea and its surrounding areas into a trading circle, and the Vikings even set foot on the New World of the Americas.

Navigational diagrams and territorial maps of the Vikings

In addition, the Scandinavian society of the Viking Age, in many cities, was filled with a high degree of economic and social mobility. Historians ignore these facts and regard the Vikings only as plunderers because the historians use historical materials that are derived from the historical materials left by those who were encroached upon by the Vikings and obtained after interpretation.

Written in the 13th century in Iceland, Egil Saga describes the life of the male protagonist Egil. Egil was a Viking and Icelandic farmer, and his grandfather was a Norwegian farmer. The book describes the Vikings as "sometimes merchants engaged in trade, sometimes incarnated as invaders".

However, it is difficult to sustain a society by plundering alone. It is generally believed that the Vikings, although plundering, basically survived on trade.

<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > expanding Viking trade circle</h1>

Islamic power began to expand rapidly from the 7th century, and the Abbasid dynasty of the Arab Empire completed a long-distance trade network after settling its capital in Baghdad in 762.

The Vikings acted as intermediaries in the Islamic trade network and were active in the region centered on Northern Europe. They started from the Baltic Sea via the Volga river to the Black Sea, and then in the process of turning to the Caspian Sea and moving eastward, while transporting furs. The Vikings sold their goods to markets along the river, receiving spices, weapons, armor, and silver coins imported from the Near East and Central Asia, and then flowed to the North Sea and the Baltic Sea region. In addition, the Vikings also traded with the Persian Samanids, far east of the Abbasid borders.

As mentioned earlier, in addition to the Mediterranean, nor nordic intercultural interactions throughout the Islamic network are also quite close. The Vikings played the role of merchants between the North Sea and the Baltic sea business circles, and their status was enhanced.

In some ways, the Vikings and the mongols had many similarities. The Mongol Empire was not just a war machine, and the Vikings were not just homesick.

In this day and age, it is difficult to make a clear distinction between plunder and commercial practices. In addition, the Vikings' daunting image of predators is actually derived from the historical records left by the tribes that lost to them on the battlefield.

Although the Mongols used the land route, while the Vikings used the sea route as their primary means of movement, both peoples were also "immigrants" who were actively engaged in commercial activities.

<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > three</h1>

< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > rapid and continuous plundering and colonization: the Normans who conquered England</h1>

The Normans are sometimes seen as Vikings, and while it is not easy to make a clear distinction between the two groups, it is a historical fact that the Normans invaded everywhere.

For example, in 1066, the founder of the Norman dynasty, William the Conqueror, took England, which is the most famous example, and this series of wars is called the "Norman Conquest".

William the Conqueror, he brought England not just a change of regime, but a change in the system, language, hierarchy, land system and many other aspects.

As mentioned earlier, plunder and trading were two sides of the same coin, so the norman conquest also meant an expansion of their trade activities. The Normans mainly used the sea route, but sometimes also used the land route, moving between different parts of Europe.

The Normans invaded the Mediterranean sea by sea from the north. This sea route became, in later history, the actual passage used by the Nordic countries to the Mediterranean for sea transport. In the future, britain, the Netherlands and even Sweden and other countries used the path to enter and exit the Mediterranean, which was actually paved by the Normans. The norman states established in the Mediterranean are best known as the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the Danes who established the "North Sea Empire"</h1>

The red zone is the "Danish Legal District"

There were also Danes who had been invading England since the 9th century and settled in its eastern region, and they lived in an area called the Danish Quarter.

Although the English later unified the island of Great Britain, king Sven I of Denmark-Norway (father of Cnut the Great) finally ascended to the throne of England in 1013 after a new onslaught.

North Sea Empire

By the time of Cnut I, he had successfully expanded the country into the North Sea Empire. However, the empire quickly collapsed after the death of Cnut I. The dynasty established by the Danes was quite individualistic in its rule, so the state was largely sustained by cnut's personal abilities. The reason for the rapid collapse of the North Sea Empire was that there was no perfect legal framework.

Cnut I

The Normans and Danes had always attached great importance to the association of individuals, so the countries they built were usually individualistic. So as soon as the king dies, the country is often prone to collapse.

Although there is always the illusion that england is a state founded by the Anglo-Saxons, it cannot be denied that the land may also be a kingdom ruled directly from the mainland by the Vikings, such as Cnut I of The Vikings and William, Duke of Normandy.

In addition, the Japanese impression of the Vikings is usually based on the Danish Vikings, but the existence of the Swedish Vikings (Varyags) should not be forgotten. As the Danish Vikings headed west, the Swedish Vikings were heading east.

The Swedish Vikings conquered the Russian Principality of Novgorod in the second half of the 9th century and traded over a vast area from England to Eastern Europe.

< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" ></h1>

<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Viking longships— the "patrons" of the Vikings across the seas</h1>

When you take a closer look at the Vikings' activity area, you'll be impressed. This range is centered on the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, as far as the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Caspian Sea.

The vessel used by the Vikings was called the "Viking Longship", which was a shallow and slender ship with a shallower draft. The longboats were originally equipped with oars, but as the times evolved, they were later changed to sails.

With regard to longships, experts on baltic trade have made the following statement:

The Nordic (Norman) longboats, "firmly fixed by nails", are undoubtedly a nightmare that frightens countless coastal residents. In the works of the bards, slender and retractable warships, in the 13th century "Sakya", could only give way to huge long ships. Around 1000, the total length of the ships was more than 25 meters. From 1000 to 1300, it is generally believed that the longships were requisitioned by the kings of Denmark and Norway, with an average size of 20 to 25 cabins on board, with a crew of 60 to 100 people. In 1262, Haakon IV of Norway led at least 120 ships of the above size and began a large-scale war against Scotland.

The shallow draft makes it easy for ships to move in rivers, while the huge body increases the number of people who can be carried. All of this makes the Vikings, once transformed into brave warriors, often the side of the goddess of victory. The reason the Vikings were so frightening was probably because of the ships they used.

< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > land</h1>

< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > "commercial revival" and viking</h1>

Here we turn again to the "revival of commerce" proposed by the Belgian historian Pirenne. According to Pirena, after the 7th century, due to the influence of Islamic forces entering the Mediterranean, commercial activity declined significantly, and europe became an agricultural-centered society. This almost cut off Europeans from trading with distant places.

But just after entering the 11th and 12th centuries, Islamic forces gradually withdrew from the Mediterranean, the Viking plunder of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea came to an end, and the waters around Europe finally ushered in an era of peace.

Although Pirena misjudged the role played by the Islamic forces, it must be said here that he also overestimated the contribution of the Vikings. When Pirena was still alive, perhaps the Vikings had only the image of the predator. Today, however, the prevailing view of the academic community has embraced the Vikings' role as merchants on the vast commercial network between Britain and Russia.

Although there are the limitations of the times in the analysis of the matter, Pirena knows nothing about such a vast business network, resulting in a "commercial revival" that is premised on a flawed view. Commerce in the Mediterranean is not a revival, it is, to some extent, continuous. The business circle, including the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, relied on the Vikings to develop many new business paths.

Without the Vikings, the fate of The European business community would have been very different. Although Pirena believes that the presence of the Vikings had a negative impact on business, there is also a positive side.

For example, in the 11th and 12th centuries, the Hanseatic League gradually emerged in Northern Europe. The Alliance was a commercial alliance of merchants and cities centred on the German cities of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea (Lübeck, Hamburg, Bremen, etc.) and consisting of merchants and cities.

Merchants of the Hanseatic League would use kirk ships for trade on the paths opened up by the Vikings. In this sense, it is not an exaggeration to say that the path that made the Hanseatic League play a big role was created by the Vikings.

Dutch merchants were the successors of the Hanseatic League, and they not only expanded their trade network centered on the Baltic Sea, but also advanced to Asia and the New World. The expansion of European scope is not in the Mediterranean, but in the seas located in the north of Europe, such as the Baltic and North Seas. Judging from the above, in the long run, the activities of the Vikings have brought opportunities for Europe to go global.