Download A Brief History of the Vikings PDF

2005
Title A Brief History of the Vikings
Authors
Genres European History Early History: C 500 To C 1450/1500 Medieval History Books
Publisher Robinson
ISBN 9781845290764
'From the Fury of the Northmen deliver us, O Lord.' Between the eighth and eleventh centuries, the Vikings surged from their Scandinavian homeland to trade, raid and invade along the coasts of Europe. Their influence and expeditions extended from Newfoundland to Baghdad, their battles were as far-flung as Africa and the Arctic. But were they great seafarers or desperate outcasts, noble heathens or oafish pirates, the last pagans or the first of the modern Europeans? This concise study puts medieval chronicles, Norse sagas and Muslim accounts alongside more recent research into ritual magic, genetic profiling and climatology. It includes biographical sketches of some of the most famous Vikings, from Erik Bloodaxe to Saint Olaf, and King Canute to Leif the Lucky. It explains why the Danish king Harald Bluetooth lent his name to a twenty-first century wireless technology; which future saint laughed as she buried foreign ambassadors alive; why so many Icelandic settlers had Irish names; and how the last Viking colony was destroyed by English raiders. Extending beyond the traditional 'Viking age' of most books, A Brief History of the Vikings places sudden Scandinavian population movement in a wider historical context. It presents a balanced appraisal of these infamous sea kings, explaining both their swift expansion and its supposed halt. Supposed because, ultimately, the Vikings didn't disappear: they turned into us.
More Books You May Like
Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close
Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close
Jennifer Close

An irresistible comedy of manners about three generations of a Chicago restaurant family and the deep-fried, beer-batter...

Scandal in Spring (Wallflowers #4)
Scandal in Spring (Wallflowers #4)
Lisa Kleypas

"I want you to do everything you've ever imagined doing with me…" With those scandalous words, Daisy Bowman, the sole ...

The Score (Off-Campus #3)
The Score (Off-Campus #3)
Elle Kennedy

A New York Times bestseller and TikTok sensation! Get ready for another binge-worthy romance from international bestsell...

The Nowhere Child by Christian White
The Nowhere Child by Christian White
Christian White

Finding her is just the start... A dark and gripping debut psychological thriller that won the 2017 Victorian Premier's ...