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I Vichinghi
History of the Vikings
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
55 people are currently reading
3143 people want to read
About the author
Gwyn Jones
76 books17 followersSon of a miner, Gwyn Jones (1907-1999) became a schoolteacher, then lecturer, then Professor of English from 1940. He was a novelist and short-story writer, translator of The Mabinogion and Icelandic sagas, founder and editor of The Welsh Review. He became Chairman of the Welsh Arts Council and was awarded the CBE (1965), the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Falcon (1963), and the Commander's Cross (1987) of Iceland.
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November 22, 2019Solid introductory history, longer and more detailed than for instance The Vikings in History with fairly lengthy quotes in translation from the source material on the Volga Vikings in particular. Deeply OK if probably a bit dated now, on the other hand, excitement about the Vikings is greater than new developments, so older books still can be read with profit, really when it comes down to it even the discovery of a Viking encampment in Newfoundland (this is an old book now!) hasn't changed the big picture or changed understanding of the dynamics of the society, possibly at some stage genetics might change understanding comprehensively of Norse settlement patterns, or possibly not. For something with a more rounded perspective taking in daily life I would recommend Else Roesdahl's book The Vikings.
September 25, 2014
"...the temptation is strong to offer generalizations about the viking himself, produce a 'typical' figure, and prop him against the museum wall with his catalogue number and descriptive label. It is a temptation to be resisted because of its limiting and misleading consequences. Harald Hardradi, who waged war from Asia Minor to Stamford Bridge for thirty-five years, was a viking; so was his father Sigurd Sow, who stayed at home and counted haystacks. Hastein, who led the Great Army of the Danes into England in the early 890's, was a viking; so too was Ottar, who came peaceably to his lord kind Alfred's court with walrus tusks and lessons in northern geography. The men who destroyed churches in England, Ireland, and France were vikings; so too were the woodcarvers of Osberg and the metalworkers of Mammen. The men who said 'With law shall the land be built up and with lawlessness wasted away' were vikings; so were the practisers and curtailers of blood-feud, the profit-makers and those who robbed them of profit, the explorers and colonizers, the shaper's of verse-forms and makers of legend. The kings and their counselors who brought the Scandanavian countries within the boundaries of Christian Europe were vikings. In short, the viking is the aggregate of this book and recalcitrant to summary."
Earlier this year I had a serious need to read some Viking history, thanks in no small part to the fact that the History Channel made a scripted show about vikings and it's awesome. Having no idea where to start, I bought TD Kendrick's A History of the Vikings from the bargain shelf at Barnes and Noble and dived in.
It was disappointing. Kendrick's book, while thorough, is almost exclusively concerned with what the vikings did while they were in places like England and Iceland. Which is great, if you already have a base of knowledge about their daily life and their homelands, but I didn't, so the book was frustrating for me. But I still had a viking itch to scratch, and so I decided to try again with Gwyn Jones book of the same title.
And I was glad I did - Jones' book is everything Kendrick's wasn't. Jones still discusses viking campaigns to Canada and England (also the Middle East, which I can't remember Kendrick getting into), but also gives the reader a ton of information about viking society and how it functioned. You learn about the viking social structure, their laws, their burial rites, their religion, their language - there's even a detailed description of how they built their boats. And you get to learn exactly what a "blood eagle" is, and trust me, it's just as cool and gross as it sounds. There are tons of photos and drawings included, so the history feels fully explored. The book goes through the lives of several important figures in viking history, as well as some other major players from the era, and gives an overview of the age of the vikings from the beginning in the 8th century, to 1066 when it officially ended.
Best of all is the writing style, which is written in the same overly-scholarly tone that Kendrick's book was, but since Jones was writing about thirty years later, it's more readable and fun, as you can see from this passage:
"The Moors took so many prisoners that the gallows of Seville did not suffice for them, and the city's palm trees bore strange fruit. Report of the Emir's victory was not entrusted to mouth and quill alone: he sent the severed heads of 200 vikings on a dumb but eloquent embassy to his allies in Tangier."
I love that so much. People just don't write history books that way anymore, and it's a damn shame.
Earlier this year I had a serious need to read some Viking history, thanks in no small part to the fact that the History Channel made a scripted show about vikings and it's awesome. Having no idea where to start, I bought TD Kendrick's A History of the Vikings from the bargain shelf at Barnes and Noble and dived in.
It was disappointing. Kendrick's book, while thorough, is almost exclusively concerned with what the vikings did while they were in places like England and Iceland. Which is great, if you already have a base of knowledge about their daily life and their homelands, but I didn't, so the book was frustrating for me. But I still had a viking itch to scratch, and so I decided to try again with Gwyn Jones book of the same title.
And I was glad I did - Jones' book is everything Kendrick's wasn't. Jones still discusses viking campaigns to Canada and England (also the Middle East, which I can't remember Kendrick getting into), but also gives the reader a ton of information about viking society and how it functioned. You learn about the viking social structure, their laws, their burial rites, their religion, their language - there's even a detailed description of how they built their boats. And you get to learn exactly what a "blood eagle" is, and trust me, it's just as cool and gross as it sounds. There are tons of photos and drawings included, so the history feels fully explored. The book goes through the lives of several important figures in viking history, as well as some other major players from the era, and gives an overview of the age of the vikings from the beginning in the 8th century, to 1066 when it officially ended.
Best of all is the writing style, which is written in the same overly-scholarly tone that Kendrick's book was, but since Jones was writing about thirty years later, it's more readable and fun, as you can see from this passage:
"The Moors took so many prisoners that the gallows of Seville did not suffice for them, and the city's palm trees bore strange fruit. Report of the Emir's victory was not entrusted to mouth and quill alone: he sent the severed heads of 200 vikings on a dumb but eloquent embassy to his allies in Tangier."
I love that so much. People just don't write history books that way anymore, and it's a damn shame.
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November 24, 2022I gather A History of the Vikings, by Gwyn Jones, was for a long time held up as the standard English language reference on the Vikings. This subject attracts so much attention and research, however, that I doubt it's still considered a definitive source. Every year, it seems, brings new discoveries and fresh appraisals of the Vikings and their epoch. Yet I imagine this book still works just fine as an overview for the non-specialist, like myself. I find it thorough and readable, if perhaps a bit dry considering the drama and spectacle inherent to its topic.
The best history of the Vikings I have read, by far, is Laughing Shall I Die: Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings, by Tom Shippey. It is a book infused with personality, both that of its cheerfully contrarian author and of the long-dead Viking warriors he gloriously resurrects within its pages. Chapter five, "Egil the Ugly and King Blood-axe," alone is worth the price of the book. It is also, as far as I can tell, a work of impeccable, “cutting-edge” scholarship. If you only ever read one history of the Vikings, let it be Laughing Shall I Die.
The best history of the Vikings I have read, by far, is Laughing Shall I Die: Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings, by Tom Shippey. It is a book infused with personality, both that of its cheerfully contrarian author and of the long-dead Viking warriors he gloriously resurrects within its pages. Chapter five, "Egil the Ugly and King Blood-axe," alone is worth the price of the book. It is also, as far as I can tell, a work of impeccable, “cutting-edge” scholarship. If you only ever read one history of the Vikings, let it be Laughing Shall I Die.
November 13, 2018
My knowledge before reading this consisted primarily of the Viking raids on English coastal areas. It was most interesting to learn that they had permanent settlements, especially into the Baltic area and even Russia. I was also unaware of their long history in Normandy, which shed a different light on English medieval history.
His beautifully worded intro makes the reader feel as though she is about to embark on an incredibly balanced view of the Vikings. For most of the book, Jones manages this. His writing contained a self-conscious aspect that made it very readable, even amusing sometimes.
The only real con is the fact that it was written in the 60’s (though my edition was revised in the early 80’s). It does leave one wondering what the newest developments are in the study of Viking history. But if one has the compulsive habit of picking up these older history books from second-hand book shops as I do, then this cannot be helped. I found this to be an excellent introduction.
His beautifully worded intro makes the reader feel as though she is about to embark on an incredibly balanced view of the Vikings. For most of the book, Jones manages this. His writing contained a self-conscious aspect that made it very readable, even amusing sometimes.
The only real con is the fact that it was written in the 60’s (though my edition was revised in the early 80’s). It does leave one wondering what the newest developments are in the study of Viking history. But if one has the compulsive habit of picking up these older history books from second-hand book shops as I do, then this cannot be helped. I found this to be an excellent introduction.
January 6, 2015
A dream of a history book: deep, detailed, never a moment's boredom, and, ta-da, with writerly touches. I have a huge gratitude for writerly touches (wit, humour, art spent on a sentence) in non-fiction, that doesn't often bother to be a writer too. It makes the research swim by when you have them nuggets to look forward to.
March 22, 2023
A thorough and enticing introduction to the Viking age. Welsh author Dr Gwyn Jones gives us an academic presentation, lightened with well, witty professor style humor. One can imagine him chuckling more than his audience as he wants to make certain you ‘get it’.
I was inspired to learn more after viewing the recent TV series ‘Vikings’ (2013-2020). One rule my wife and I had was that we wouldn’t watch the show while eating dinner, it was too bloody. Certainly I thought it was spiced up for television, well if anything it was restrained, real life in the Viking days was combative at best and full of all the backstabbing, skullduggery, and ploys politicians use to this day.
The economies, law making and wide ranging adventures of the Vikings is truly an amazing story. At ‘only’ 400 or so pages Jones does cover all the battles, but as he explains, he does not go into each thoroughly. One sign I’ve noticed of what makes an expert is that he loves the subject, but if you do, he going to explain that you like it for the wrong reasons. There is plenty of myth breaking, or should we say clarifying.
The footnotes almost equal another book. He likes to debate the translation of a word quite often, so yes geeky at times, compelling at others.
Be sure to get the Revised 1984 edition. It does make me wonder what has been turned up about the Vikings in the last 30 yrs? Jones passed away in 1992. I bet he would also.
I was inspired to learn more after viewing the recent TV series ‘Vikings’ (2013-2020). One rule my wife and I had was that we wouldn’t watch the show while eating dinner, it was too bloody. Certainly I thought it was spiced up for television, well if anything it was restrained, real life in the Viking days was combative at best and full of all the backstabbing, skullduggery, and ploys politicians use to this day.
The economies, law making and wide ranging adventures of the Vikings is truly an amazing story. At ‘only’ 400 or so pages Jones does cover all the battles, but as he explains, he does not go into each thoroughly. One sign I’ve noticed of what makes an expert is that he loves the subject, but if you do, he going to explain that you like it for the wrong reasons. There is plenty of myth breaking, or should we say clarifying.
The footnotes almost equal another book. He likes to debate the translation of a word quite often, so yes geeky at times, compelling at others.
Be sure to get the Revised 1984 edition. It does make me wonder what has been turned up about the Vikings in the last 30 yrs? Jones passed away in 1992. I bet he would also.
May 16, 2021
Review to come.
May 22, 2013
This book serves as a very good general introduction to the history of the Norse from legendary times to 1066.
Interestingly, despite having visited some of the sites mentioned and except for children's books on the subject and the occasional article, I think this was only the first or second real book I ever read about my putative ancestors. They are rather embarrassing.
Interestingly, despite having visited some of the sites mentioned and except for children's books on the subject and the occasional article, I think this was only the first or second real book I ever read about my putative ancestors. They are rather embarrassing.
April 30, 2020
I still get lost among all the Sigurds and Thorvalds–a problem with any history that relies heavily on dynastic succession-but left me with an overall clearer picture of the viking age. And it's entertaining as hell.
November 19, 2019
I would give this book three and a half stars if I could.
The first few chapters are solid two-star chapters; the author's style defines the word "orotund," and sentence after sentence takes up half a page to convey the simple attitude of "we just don't know." However, once the book gets into the historical period, Jones does an excellent, exhaustive job of cross-referencing sources, and because this is an older work, every single one of them is cited in a footnote. The footnotes, in fact, are so copious as to be distracting. In a history work this is a good thing; in a narrative, it is less so. Unfortunately, Jones is unable to split the difference as effectively as many authors, and rather than gather the entire footnote material into endnotes, the publisher has elected to leave them as footnotes. There is one other significant and jarring addition compared to other books of this type and class, and that is in-line line drawings. Some of the drawings, such as maps of Hedeby or the archaeological dig plans for Brattahlid, are excellent. Some of them, however, are jarringly bad line art, and they do not appear with any explanation, so it is impossible to tell if they are a rendition of an original source (many are), or are the results of a six-year-old helping illustrate the manuscript (many look like this is a possibility). I feel that either more elaboration, or an omission of the line art, would have been an improvement.
I feel I must note the scholarship in this work. At the time it was written, it was very much state of the art. That was fifty years ago with a revision twenty years ago, so much of it is severely out of date, and the references are mostly to 19th and mid-20th-Century scholarship, rather than more modern work (off the top of my head, the design of the "buttresses" at the Trelleborg longhouses comes to mind - the consensus has moved on from the drawings in this book). However, Jones is a standard work in the field, and is therefore something of a must-have in a reference library, even if the field of Norse studies has grown past this book.
The first few chapters are solid two-star chapters; the author's style defines the word "orotund," and sentence after sentence takes up half a page to convey the simple attitude of "we just don't know." However, once the book gets into the historical period, Jones does an excellent, exhaustive job of cross-referencing sources, and because this is an older work, every single one of them is cited in a footnote. The footnotes, in fact, are so copious as to be distracting. In a history work this is a good thing; in a narrative, it is less so. Unfortunately, Jones is unable to split the difference as effectively as many authors, and rather than gather the entire footnote material into endnotes, the publisher has elected to leave them as footnotes. There is one other significant and jarring addition compared to other books of this type and class, and that is in-line line drawings. Some of the drawings, such as maps of Hedeby or the archaeological dig plans for Brattahlid, are excellent. Some of them, however, are jarringly bad line art, and they do not appear with any explanation, so it is impossible to tell if they are a rendition of an original source (many are), or are the results of a six-year-old helping illustrate the manuscript (many look like this is a possibility). I feel that either more elaboration, or an omission of the line art, would have been an improvement.
I feel I must note the scholarship in this work. At the time it was written, it was very much state of the art. That was fifty years ago with a revision twenty years ago, so much of it is severely out of date, and the references are mostly to 19th and mid-20th-Century scholarship, rather than more modern work (off the top of my head, the design of the "buttresses" at the Trelleborg longhouses comes to mind - the consensus has moved on from the drawings in this book). However, Jones is a standard work in the field, and is therefore something of a must-have in a reference library, even if the field of Norse studies has grown past this book.
October 4, 2017
This was an interesting and informative history of the Vikings, but I really would have preferred to have read a more recent account. This book was originally published in 1968 and a huge amount of archaeological discoveries and reinterpretations have gone on since then, so I couldn't help but wonder how different a modern history would be.
There were a couple of things I didn't like. The author loved describing the pre-Christian vikings as heathens rather than pagans, which I felt was unnecessary. The author also loved using words so obsolete that I've never seen some of them before in my life. And I dare say some of them were even long obsolete in the 1960's, let alone today.
Overall it was good in the absence of a modern history of the Vikings, but if there is indeed a more modern, well told history then I'd prefer that than this.
There were a couple of things I didn't like. The author loved describing the pre-Christian vikings as heathens rather than pagans, which I felt was unnecessary. The author also loved using words so obsolete that I've never seen some of them before in my life. And I dare say some of them were even long obsolete in the 1960's, let alone today.
Overall it was good in the absence of a modern history of the Vikings, but if there is indeed a more modern, well told history then I'd prefer that than this.
August 25, 2015
In the interests of full disclosure, I didn't finish this book but I tried very hard, I'm marking it off as read as I'm never going to finish it and I don't like seeing it constantly sitting on my To Read shelf... So many people had said good things about it and I was really keen to learn some history of the Vikings and this book seemed appropriate to that!
It was written a while ago and the language reflects that but I could cope with that element. What I really struggled with was the discursive pointless revealing of facts, maybe I've read too much historical fiction but there was no thread holding it all together. There's no apparent common theme tying things together, it's like the author has come up with an idea and wanted to get it down on the paper. There's no feel of being back in the 900's and experiencing what was happening and understanding the decisions and actions, just a bland recitation of fact. Might be worth it for others but I'm off to find potentially less accurate but more immersive options.
It was written a while ago and the language reflects that but I could cope with that element. What I really struggled with was the discursive pointless revealing of facts, maybe I've read too much historical fiction but there was no thread holding it all together. There's no apparent common theme tying things together, it's like the author has come up with an idea and wanted to get it down on the paper. There's no feel of being back in the 900's and experiencing what was happening and understanding the decisions and actions, just a bland recitation of fact. Might be worth it for others but I'm off to find potentially less accurate but more immersive options.
September 1, 2014
Immensely readable, well-written account of the history of the vikings. Jones is addicted to analogies and metaphors and they do help to make the vikings and those who encountered them more "present." My favorite:
"Ireland, England, France were the vikings' Mexico, with learning, arts, wealth, and a civilization superior to those of their northern conquistadors, and a similar inability to defend themselves from a numerically inferior but mobile and energetic foe." 200
She shows that they were not a uniform group and that they differed even from their compatriots (who we now think of as "Danish," "Norwegian" or "Swedish") back "home" many of whom simply farmed & lived out their peaceful lives. And they didn't just war against others but against each other as well--both at home and overseas.
"Ireland, England, France were the vikings' Mexico, with learning, arts, wealth, and a civilization superior to those of their northern conquistadors, and a similar inability to defend themselves from a numerically inferior but mobile and energetic foe." 200
She shows that they were not a uniform group and that they differed even from their compatriots (who we now think of as "Danish," "Norwegian" or "Swedish") back "home" many of whom simply farmed & lived out their peaceful lives. And they didn't just war against others but against each other as well--both at home and overseas.
July 5, 2021
Undoubtedly Gwyn Jones is an authority on the subject and the depth and breadth of the book will no doubt delight Viking enthusiasts, but to those new to the period its a difficult read. The amount of individuals named become an absolute blur and to be honest become like confetti. Some time ago I read Lord Kinross book on the Ottoman Empire - an equally challenging subject to the uninitiated- and found that very readable and informative. I assumed, wrongly, that The Vikings would be similar. Gwyn Jones obviously knows his stuff but as a read this was painful. Less is often more and in this case definitely so.
February 8, 2019
Very detailed but the back and forth between eras can be confusing at times.
August 1, 2022
A decent overview history but a bit dry at times and is also somewhat outdated due to numerous archeological finds since this was published.
wish-list
March 6, 2014to find
December 12, 2021
The best single-volume work on the Vikings I have read. Better by a shade than Foote & Wilson's "The Viking Achievement". Jones' knowledge of Viking history, archaeology, culture, language, literature, art, society etc. are impressive. He has clearly spent many years reading countless books and articles in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Icelandic, German, and French. Not bad for a man who is supposed to be a professor of English Language and Literature! (One can only imagine his knowledge of his primary subject...) This book has everything: in-depth discussion of the centuries leading up the Viking Age in Scandinavia (something many books on the Vikings don't have), full coverage of the movements west, south, and south-east, solid treatments of the histories of each major Scandinavian country from the beginning of the Viking Age till 1066, as well as full consideration of the culture, language, religion and worldview, art, literature, societies, architecture...you name it. All the major primary sources for the Viking Age are included: Irish, Anglo-Saxon, Frankish, Russian, Arabic, Byzantine, plus, of course, a detailed overview of the later Icelanders' writings on the deeds of their historical cousins. And all illustrated with a wealth of photos, drawings and maps.
I found this book to be sober, very factual (but at the same time very imaginatively written) and about as objective as could be. Jones neither approves or condemns; he merely gives what he regards as the pertinent information in a lively and entertaining way. I was especially pleased by his non-judgmental treatment of the Norsemen's religion.
Be warned, though, this is not easy bedtime reading. This is a serious, fairly-comprehensive academic work. There are numerous very detailed footnotes throughout, a large bibliography and a detailed index. Many of the works cited in the text or in the select bibliography are in the Scandinavian languages (including Icelandic) and German. The serious reader will need to read these languages (as I do) in order to follow the author's research trail and in general research things Viking in any serious detail. Although more and more is being published in English these days, one can still only get so far in the world's lingua franca, and an English-only student has a good deal of the classic works off limits to him.
The only major criticism I can come up with is that this book was last edited in 1984, so it does not present the latest research in linguistics, literary criticism, archaeology, social and cultural history, place-names, religious studies, and so on. Nor, of course, is there anything from the world of DNA mapping. The bibliography, too, comes overwhelmingly from the 1973 edition.
This is the best single volume book on things Viking I have read. Superior, for example, to Foote & Wilson's The Viking Achievement and Roesdahl's The Vikings (I have not read Sawyer's The Age of the Vikings from 1972). If I had to recommend a single-volume, portable book on the Viking Age, this would be the one. At around only 9 British pounds it is a complete steal! If you're interested in the Vikings, this book is a must.
I found this book to be sober, very factual (but at the same time very imaginatively written) and about as objective as could be. Jones neither approves or condemns; he merely gives what he regards as the pertinent information in a lively and entertaining way. I was especially pleased by his non-judgmental treatment of the Norsemen's religion.
Be warned, though, this is not easy bedtime reading. This is a serious, fairly-comprehensive academic work. There are numerous very detailed footnotes throughout, a large bibliography and a detailed index. Many of the works cited in the text or in the select bibliography are in the Scandinavian languages (including Icelandic) and German. The serious reader will need to read these languages (as I do) in order to follow the author's research trail and in general research things Viking in any serious detail. Although more and more is being published in English these days, one can still only get so far in the world's lingua franca, and an English-only student has a good deal of the classic works off limits to him.
The only major criticism I can come up with is that this book was last edited in 1984, so it does not present the latest research in linguistics, literary criticism, archaeology, social and cultural history, place-names, religious studies, and so on. Nor, of course, is there anything from the world of DNA mapping. The bibliography, too, comes overwhelmingly from the 1973 edition.
This is the best single volume book on things Viking I have read. Superior, for example, to Foote & Wilson's The Viking Achievement and Roesdahl's The Vikings (I have not read Sawyer's The Age of the Vikings from 1972). If I had to recommend a single-volume, portable book on the Viking Age, this would be the one. At around only 9 British pounds it is a complete steal! If you're interested in the Vikings, this book is a must.
November 15, 2022
As companions to my reading of The Dawn of Everything, I picked up two histories of migrating people that a friend in Seattle had been reading. This book by Jones may be dated by 20 years (from the last edition), but the few ships and burial sites unearthed since then don't change the arc of the story. The most important lesson to take away is that "Viking" is more verb and adjective than noun - the Vikings were not organized under the blessing of kings in either Denmark, Norway, or Sweden, but were brigands who decided their raids according to their own schedules. In the process, they took over large parts of Britain and Ireland for various lengths of time; sacked Paris and almost took over large parts of the Frankish kingdom; founded settlements in Iceland, Greenland, and the L'anse aux Meadows region of Newfoundland; and changed the internal politics of all the regions they invaded, even though they rarely were successful in lengthy occupations.
Johns is a sardonic and humorous writer who shows how many sagas, poems, and skalds were utter hagiography and not to be trusted. Nevertheless, he tries to pull out the barest bones of evidentiary history from what little exists. When the Vikings were planning their first raids on Lindisfarne in the late 700s, the three Scandinavian countries from which they came could barely be said to have functioning governments. They were pagan through and through, despite some early visits by Christian monks prior to Lindisfarne, and the countries only gained the barest threads of government with the more wholesale adoption of Christianity.
In some senses, the Vikings were like the richer briganding pirates like Sir Walter Raleigh in England, who never operated with the approval of the host government. Whereas Queen Elizabeth was rich enough to require "plausible deniability" from Sir Walter, there wasn't much governments in Scandinavia to approve or disapprove of the Vikings, only transient kings who could take advantage of temporary victories. Obviously, the creation of the Danelaw region of England and the reign of King Cnut proved that Denmark, at least, could make a permanent mark on England. But when the Normans finally conquered England in 1066 just after Harald Hardradi made an unsuccessful attempt to conquer it for the Vikings, the limitations of leaderless pirates was proven to the world.
Many reviewers found Jones' organizing style to be excellent. I'm not so sure. We get a couple chapters of history, followed by a chapter showing the evolution from pagan to Christian burial site. Maybe a strict chronology would have worked better, maybe not. But in any event, Jones has given us a clever and detailed look at the years of Scandinavian pirates who pretended to be conquerors.
Johns is a sardonic and humorous writer who shows how many sagas, poems, and skalds were utter hagiography and not to be trusted. Nevertheless, he tries to pull out the barest bones of evidentiary history from what little exists. When the Vikings were planning their first raids on Lindisfarne in the late 700s, the three Scandinavian countries from which they came could barely be said to have functioning governments. They were pagan through and through, despite some early visits by Christian monks prior to Lindisfarne, and the countries only gained the barest threads of government with the more wholesale adoption of Christianity.
In some senses, the Vikings were like the richer briganding pirates like Sir Walter Raleigh in England, who never operated with the approval of the host government. Whereas Queen Elizabeth was rich enough to require "plausible deniability" from Sir Walter, there wasn't much governments in Scandinavia to approve or disapprove of the Vikings, only transient kings who could take advantage of temporary victories. Obviously, the creation of the Danelaw region of England and the reign of King Cnut proved that Denmark, at least, could make a permanent mark on England. But when the Normans finally conquered England in 1066 just after Harald Hardradi made an unsuccessful attempt to conquer it for the Vikings, the limitations of leaderless pirates was proven to the world.
Many reviewers found Jones' organizing style to be excellent. I'm not so sure. We get a couple chapters of history, followed by a chapter showing the evolution from pagan to Christian burial site. Maybe a strict chronology would have worked better, maybe not. But in any event, Jones has given us a clever and detailed look at the years of Scandinavian pirates who pretended to be conquerors.
May 18, 2018
I have to admit, I really struggled to finish this book. It is full of unfamiliar (to me) Viking leaders, many of whom share the same name, and unfamiliar Scandinavian locations and Viking events. I also didn’t particularly like the author’s writing style. That said, I am now more versed on Viking history, which I knew little about beyond the raids on England and brief settlement of North America.
Before and during the Viking Age, the kingdoms of Scandinavia, except for the far northern regions, shared a common language, religion, culture, art and feudal economic system. The author reviews all these aspects of Viking society, as well as Viking law, ship building, reliance on a slave economy and the eventual conversion to Christianity. Viking history in Scandinavia is a story familiar to much of the rest of Europe in that there were warring kingdoms, internal coups and familicide as a means of obtaining power.
The latter part of the book was of more interest to me when the author turned his attention to the Viking raids on the richer and more sophisticated England, Ireland, Wales, and France, the motivation for which being the pursuit of land, wealth and fame. The author also explains how Vikings, while mixing with the local Slavic population, helped to establish Russia with Kiev as its capital. The settlement of Iceland, Greenland and North America, and the eventual demise of the latter two, is also covered by the book.
One little fact that I learned and found intriguing was that Goths and Anglels (the Anglo in Anglo-Saxon) were originally from Scandinavia.
I can’t say I’d recommend this book. It really seems to be for people who are already very familiar with Viking history and geography and want a detailed overview of Viking history in one volume. I’m not sure if there is a better book out there for more of a novice, so if you really want to learn those details, then this may be the best option.
Before and during the Viking Age, the kingdoms of Scandinavia, except for the far northern regions, shared a common language, religion, culture, art and feudal economic system. The author reviews all these aspects of Viking society, as well as Viking law, ship building, reliance on a slave economy and the eventual conversion to Christianity. Viking history in Scandinavia is a story familiar to much of the rest of Europe in that there were warring kingdoms, internal coups and familicide as a means of obtaining power.
The latter part of the book was of more interest to me when the author turned his attention to the Viking raids on the richer and more sophisticated England, Ireland, Wales, and France, the motivation for which being the pursuit of land, wealth and fame. The author also explains how Vikings, while mixing with the local Slavic population, helped to establish Russia with Kiev as its capital. The settlement of Iceland, Greenland and North America, and the eventual demise of the latter two, is also covered by the book.
One little fact that I learned and found intriguing was that Goths and Anglels (the Anglo in Anglo-Saxon) were originally from Scandinavia.
I can’t say I’d recommend this book. It really seems to be for people who are already very familiar with Viking history and geography and want a detailed overview of Viking history in one volume. I’m not sure if there is a better book out there for more of a novice, so if you really want to learn those details, then this may be the best option.
August 12, 2022
I decided to read this because my husband was playing Assassin's Creed: Vahalla. It was pretty neat to see how much real history went into the game. I even understood where places in the book were from watching him play it. The book was a good thorough history of the Vikings, including their travels to North America, and relations with the other countries around them.
The negative part was how it was written. The author needs to work on paragraph breaks. Whole paragraphs would extend across two pages, and were filled with so many details and facts that it was hard to follow. Sometimes I easily lost my place or had to re-read to understand what I had just read.
The negative part was how it was written. The author needs to work on paragraph breaks. Whole paragraphs would extend across two pages, and were filled with so many details and facts that it was hard to follow. Sometimes I easily lost my place or had to re-read to understand what I had just read.
December 12, 2023
I read this as part of a research project in school and found it heavy (long) but very, very informative. Part of the interest for me in the subject was the premise that the term "Vikings" was simply the warrior name for the Norse people used when they were raiding. Unlike what Hollywood depicts, the book captures the reality that most of the time the Norse were a farming or seafaring people. Of course, when they were on the warpath, watch out! (poor Scotland had it rough!) I also enjoyed the details of Norse voyages to Iceland, Greenland, and maybe even parts of present day North America. This subject is near and dear to my heart, and continues to be a welcome collection to my library.
July 31, 2023
This was a well-researched book that went very early into Viking history to talk about their origins in Scandinavia and their slow demise over time with the rise of nations and Christianity. Although I appreciated the work done in the book, and the breadth that it covered, I did find it a bit dry at times. (Hence the 4 instead of 5 stars.) In addition, the book could have definitely used some colour images, as all of the images were in black and white.
July 29, 2024
Very good read with history described based upon folk sagas and historical fact. The chapter on Norse religion and introductory chapters describing inferred Scandinavian history from folk saga and poems contained a lot of names and places and was a bit challenging to read but the rest of the book based more on historical fact read very well. Very good account about who the Vikings were. It suffered from a lack of detailed maps to show where all the places were. Recommended
August 26, 2024
Libro utilissimo a chiunque si approcci alla storia della Scandinavia.
Questo testo è estremamente preciso e specifici, estremamente utili se si stanno seguendo studi accademici archeologici o storici riguardo queste aree geografiche.
L'unico problema che ho riscontrato personalmente è che, a volte, la scrittura è un po confusa e si fatica a tenere le fila degli avvenimenti, soprattutto quando si elencano i tantissimi sovrani con i loro regni e le lotte interne.
Questo testo è estremamente preciso e specifici, estremamente utili se si stanno seguendo studi accademici archeologici o storici riguardo queste aree geografiche.
L'unico problema che ho riscontrato personalmente è che, a volte, la scrittura è un po confusa e si fatica a tenere le fila degli avvenimenti, soprattutto quando si elencano i tantissimi sovrani con i loro regni e le lotte interne.
February 3, 2022
“A History of the Vikings” is a comprehensive chronicle of people, places, actions, and turning points. Enjoy.
If you are a fan of the “Vikings” series, this book fills in a lot of history and verifies all the main plot points.
The two gaps I found regard the lack of info about women leaders and warriors, and the Berserkers.
If you are a fan of the “Vikings” series, this book fills in a lot of history and verifies all the main plot points.
The two gaps I found regard the lack of info about women leaders and warriors, and the Berserkers.
September 30, 2021
While most of the information is quite informative, the wording and information seemed repetitive, made it quite hard to really understand what was to be taken from this book about Viking Hiatory itself.
June 19, 2025
A good history. If your knowledge of the Vikings is from holly wood or the history channel, as mine is, you will learn a lot. Many of the myths of discovery and battle aren't myths and many of the "facts" that we think we know are myths. Jones clears a lot of this up. Well worth the read.
November 11, 2017
This is one of the definitive histories of the Vikings.
November 5, 2019
An excellent explaination of the history of the vikings.
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