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Northmen: The Viking Saga, 793-1241 AD
An authoritative volume that places the Vikings in their wider geographical and historical context.
Follow the Vikings from their prehistoric pagan origins to their transformation into Christian Europeans.
In 800, the Scandinavians were barbarians in longships bent only on plunder and rapine. But as these Norse warriors left their northern strongholds to trade, raid, and settle across wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic, their violent and predatory culture left a unique imprint on medieval history. So much so that, by 1200, the Viking homelands had become an integral part of Latin Christendom. Northmen tells this story.
Focusing on key events, such as the sack of Lindisfarne in 793 and the murder of the saga-writer Snorri Sturluson in 1241, in authoritative and compelling prose, medieval history expert Dr. John Haywood tells the extraordinary story of the Viking Age shedding light on the causes, impact, and eventual decline of Viking seafaring.
Follow the Vikings from their prehistoric pagan origins to their transformation into Christian Europeans.
In 800, the Scandinavians were barbarians in longships bent only on plunder and rapine. But as these Norse warriors left their northern strongholds to trade, raid, and settle across wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic, their violent and predatory culture left a unique imprint on medieval history. So much so that, by 1200, the Viking homelands had become an integral part of Latin Christendom. Northmen tells this story.
Focusing on key events, such as the sack of Lindisfarne in 793 and the murder of the saga-writer Snorri Sturluson in 1241, in authoritative and compelling prose, medieval history expert Dr. John Haywood tells the extraordinary story of the Viking Age shedding light on the causes, impact, and eventual decline of Viking seafaring.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published October 8, 2015
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November 25, 2023
Una historia de los vikingos alejada de mitos y leyendas. La narración más completa sobre su expansión geográfica; de Terranova a Bagdad, de Rusia a Francia o España.
La sociedad violenta, cruel y depredadora de la Escandinavia de la Era Oscura tuvo un impacto único en la historia de la Europa medieval.
Desde la seguridad del frío norte, guerreros, exploradores y comerciantes nórdicos saquearon, comerciaron y se establecieron en múltiples áreas de Europa, Asia y del norte del Atlántico desde finales del siglo VIII hasta mediados del siglo XI, desde los orígenes en la prehistoria pagana a su transformación entre los europeos cristianos.
Los hombres del Norte narra toda su historia, centrándose en aquellos lugares donde ocurrieron eventos clave. Estos episodios son fascinantes en sí mismos, pero también arrojan luz sobre la naturaleza de la actividad vikinga: sus causas, sus efectos y la razón de su declive. John Haywood se centra en el trabajo de los arqueólogos y sus aportaciones así como en fuentes literarias como las sagas nórdicas para crear una narración histórica de largo alcance, una visión renovadora que supera mitos y leyendas.
Aprobado y recomendable.
Nos lleva navegando en Drakkar por una muy trabajada y documentada historia del origen de los hombres del Norte.
Un paso por la historia que me ha complacido y quizás otros autores lo hubieran narrado mejor pero lo he disfrutado. No tengo problemas con los ensayos, ni se me hacen aburridos.
Un ligero paseo por la formación de naciones escandinavas desde edad del hierro hasta la misma era vikinga y su entrada en Europa.
Fueron sin duda unos intrépidos e incansables descubridores y navegantes, comerciantes y guerreros dedicados a los dioses que llegaron a América, que levantaron colonias y remontaron ríos hasta alcanzar ciudades como Bagdad.
Para todo aquel que quiera hacerse una idea general de la historia y cultura de este legendario pueblo es un libro acertado. Y aclara ciertos datos falsos...
Que no llevaban cuernos en sus cascos. Hay muchos malentendidos con lo que fueron los vikingos. Primeros en muchas cosas. Buenas y malas.
Avanza de forma cronológica centrándose cada capítulo en un territorio o evento que marco la historia de este pueblo.
Lectura amena y completa, aunque si se desea ahondar en profundidad se deberá buscar otra lectura.
Este es un ligero camino de la historia vikinga asi por encima..
La sociedad violenta, cruel y depredadora de la Escandinavia de la Era Oscura tuvo un impacto único en la historia de la Europa medieval.
Desde la seguridad del frío norte, guerreros, exploradores y comerciantes nórdicos saquearon, comerciaron y se establecieron en múltiples áreas de Europa, Asia y del norte del Atlántico desde finales del siglo VIII hasta mediados del siglo XI, desde los orígenes en la prehistoria pagana a su transformación entre los europeos cristianos.
Los hombres del Norte narra toda su historia, centrándose en aquellos lugares donde ocurrieron eventos clave. Estos episodios son fascinantes en sí mismos, pero también arrojan luz sobre la naturaleza de la actividad vikinga: sus causas, sus efectos y la razón de su declive. John Haywood se centra en el trabajo de los arqueólogos y sus aportaciones así como en fuentes literarias como las sagas nórdicas para crear una narración histórica de largo alcance, una visión renovadora que supera mitos y leyendas.
Aprobado y recomendable.
Nos lleva navegando en Drakkar por una muy trabajada y documentada historia del origen de los hombres del Norte.
Un paso por la historia que me ha complacido y quizás otros autores lo hubieran narrado mejor pero lo he disfrutado. No tengo problemas con los ensayos, ni se me hacen aburridos.
Un ligero paseo por la formación de naciones escandinavas desde edad del hierro hasta la misma era vikinga y su entrada en Europa.
Fueron sin duda unos intrépidos e incansables descubridores y navegantes, comerciantes y guerreros dedicados a los dioses que llegaron a América, que levantaron colonias y remontaron ríos hasta alcanzar ciudades como Bagdad.
Para todo aquel que quiera hacerse una idea general de la historia y cultura de este legendario pueblo es un libro acertado. Y aclara ciertos datos falsos...
Que no llevaban cuernos en sus cascos. Hay muchos malentendidos con lo que fueron los vikingos. Primeros en muchas cosas. Buenas y malas.
Avanza de forma cronológica centrándose cada capítulo en un territorio o evento que marco la historia de este pueblo.
Lectura amena y completa, aunque si se desea ahondar en profundidad se deberá buscar otra lectura.
Este es un ligero camino de la historia vikinga asi por encima..
March 27, 2017
Be warned this book will useful to you if you are truly and deeply interested in Viking history , as that it's what this book focuses on entirely. From the Vikings beginnings on Scandinavia, its emergence from then on to raids on the English coast, raids in the Scottish , Irish , Spanish , Muslim Spain , Russia , Sweden , France and even the Byzantine empire occupy most of the book. The author goes to explain what effects the Viking presence had in each of these places , how they took power in England , how they influenced civil war in the Frankish kingdom, how they helped unified Scotland and Ireland , how they colonized Iceland and Greenland , and how they even reached America . The christianization of the Vikings was a defining moment that would forever change the Vikings , because instead of being happy with just raids they now wanted to settle and centralize power in each land they settled . A lot of information densely packed .... if you truly are interested in the Viking age , this book is for you .
June 25, 2018
Quite dry and factual enumeration of the Viking raids and expansion in various parts of Europe, from the end of the 8th century until (mostly) the middle of the 11th century . The perspective is mainly that of the areas that suffered from the raids and what they did or did not do about it. So the biggest shortcoming of this book is that we do not gain any insight into the causes of the Viking expansion, unless that it was all about “honor and booty”. Of course it was, but as a historical explanation that seems hardly sufficient, especially since we are talking about a period of more than 2 centuries of almost unending 'terror'.
An interesting aspect though is the focus is on the ambiguous attitude of Western kings with regard to the Vikings: they often used them to get their own feudal lords into trouble, so that they would not affect their (royal) authority; in the end they only enforced the power of these local lords. The sketch of the gradual 'assimilation' of the Vikings, both in the areas they occupied, and in their home countries, is also quite remarkable. In short: a book that gives a limited number of answers about a very turbulent period in history.
An interesting aspect though is the focus is on the ambiguous attitude of Western kings with regard to the Vikings: they often used them to get their own feudal lords into trouble, so that they would not affect their (royal) authority; in the end they only enforced the power of these local lords. The sketch of the gradual 'assimilation' of the Vikings, both in the areas they occupied, and in their home countries, is also quite remarkable. In short: a book that gives a limited number of answers about a very turbulent period in history.
February 17, 2017
I knew very little about Viking history and I found this book at a time when I was eager to read about it. Haywood's book is informative and comprehensive. Using primary sources and denoting when certain sources may be unreliable, it tells the histories of Viking activity in every location they travelled. But it doesn't just tell about what the Vikings were up to, it examines the existing cultures and peoples the Vikings raided and/or explored. It's goal is to tell about the Vikings' impact on these peoples, how the Vikings themselves shaped European development through unprecedented warfare and Paganism vs Christian narratives.
Besides this, Haywood then also tells about Europe's impact on Scandinavia and the eventual fall of Viking activity in favor of centralized European MOs. My favorite chapter had to be about the Vikings in the North Atlantic (Iceland, Greenland, North America).
Though informative, I often found the chapters to be dense to the point of distraction, only because of the volume of foreign language names and placenames and the hectic tales of so many people/kings. The book is equipped with maps of the various regions and lists of all the kings of each region, as well as an overall timeline.
Besides this, Haywood then also tells about Europe's impact on Scandinavia and the eventual fall of Viking activity in favor of centralized European MOs. My favorite chapter had to be about the Vikings in the North Atlantic (Iceland, Greenland, North America).
Though informative, I often found the chapters to be dense to the point of distraction, only because of the volume of foreign language names and placenames and the hectic tales of so many people/kings. The book is equipped with maps of the various regions and lists of all the kings of each region, as well as an overall timeline.
October 13, 2017
I quit reading this book before I was done with the first chapter. Why? Here's why.
This book was written by an "expert" historian as opposed to a member of academia. The difference is in their choice of terms and statements when expressing an opinion. A "expert" will use words like "must", "clearly" and "should be" when expression their opinion without any citations or other foot notes to back up their claim. A trained professional of academia will use words such as "suggests" "could be" or "seems likely" while using citations and footnotes of theirs and others work to support their statements. They build a body of work to substantiate their claims.
There are no footnotes or citations to back up any of the authors statements or conclusions. I'll take vetted, cited work over "experts" anytime.
My "favorite" claim by the author is the one he makes on the reason for votive hoards (the burying of precious metals and other items) "However, votive hoards were not merely a way of appeasing the gods; they helped maintained the status of the elite by creating an artificial shortage of metals."
Based on what evidence????
This book was written by an "expert" historian as opposed to a member of academia. The difference is in their choice of terms and statements when expressing an opinion. A "expert" will use words like "must", "clearly" and "should be" when expression their opinion without any citations or other foot notes to back up their claim. A trained professional of academia will use words such as "suggests" "could be" or "seems likely" while using citations and footnotes of theirs and others work to support their statements. They build a body of work to substantiate their claims.
There are no footnotes or citations to back up any of the authors statements or conclusions. I'll take vetted, cited work over "experts" anytime.
My "favorite" claim by the author is the one he makes on the reason for votive hoards (the burying of precious metals and other items) "However, votive hoards were not merely a way of appeasing the gods; they helped maintained the status of the elite by creating an artificial shortage of metals."
Based on what evidence????
June 4, 2018
This book is simply excellent. Haywood takes the reader on a deep dive into the origin of the men from the North and the formation of the Scandinavian nations from the late-onset iron age through the Viking era and into their 13th-century assimilation into the rest of Europe. We are shown the vikings as ravagers, conquerors, merchants, explorers, colonizers, and nation-builders - a nuanced depiction that nevertheless never shies away from how these violent men for the most part weren't very pleasant people. The part which elevates North Men to the top shelf however is how Haywood starts it off with an effective exploration of the viking mindset and psychology. Rather than just tell you about the vikings this helps you understand the vikings, which is what every history book ought to aim for. Proper job.
December 20, 2016
Entretenida obra divulgativa sobre los pueblos escandinavos, su historia y su influencia en Europa. Tal vez, la organización por ámbitos geográficos complica el poder establecer un hilo conductor, ya que muchos de los protagonistas actuaron en diferentes ubicaciones a lo largo del tiempo. Pero como conclusión obtenemos una imagen clara del impacto de los vikingos en la evolución de los estados europeos.
December 23, 2016
A good and wide-ranging account of the Vikings, from their early beginnings to their invasions, slave taking and expansion to the North Atlantic, the British Isles, Normandy, Sicily, the Slavic lands and beyond (new to me: an account of two vicious plundering raids all the way to the Caspian coast of Iran and Azerbaijan!). The detailed descriptions of who succeeded whom and how can become confusing, but it is either that or skipping a lot of detail and the author opted to include the details.
I do wish he had included diagrams of the boats and structures he describes, and maps of the lands he is talking about; it is tiresome to have to open Wikipedia alongside the book (this is not a problem specific to this book).
The ancient Indo-European religion/culture of the Vikings, with its harsh but courageous and highly honor-obsessed warrior ethos is well described, along with some of the usual speculations about how their beliefs made them more or less fatalistic and/or brave, which the author clearly regards as self-evident but which may not may not be the whole story (again, this is not a quibble about this book in particular; I am just increasingly skeptical of speculations in this category in general).
The author has made good use of a wide variety of European and Muslim sources. There is a description of a Viking-Rus chief's funeral rites and the ritualized rape that was indulged in by all his subordinates to honor him (this from Ibn Fadlan's account) that gives a good indication of the distance from that world to ours. Incidentally, I read Michael Crichton's "Eaters of the dead" back in 1980 or so, based partly on Ibn Fadlan's account of his journeys among the Rus. I remember it as being a very fun read. It would be a nice quick snack alongside this book.
Overall, well worth a read.
Tangential thought: It seems the conversion of X to Roman Catholicism versus Y to Orthodox Christianity and Z to Islam (sometimes for very random contingent reasons) led to borders that are more culturally and historically significant to this day than almost any other factor. In the hierarchy of identities, the demotion of religion is a recent and very limited and incomplete phenomenon. We don't have to go back to that world, but it would be foolish to act as if it did not exist until recently and still does in too many ways... Even if and when it is transcended, the chances of doing so AND replacing its power with new ones is better if that power is more clearly understood and acknowledged.
I do wish he had included diagrams of the boats and structures he describes, and maps of the lands he is talking about; it is tiresome to have to open Wikipedia alongside the book (this is not a problem specific to this book).
The ancient Indo-European religion/culture of the Vikings, with its harsh but courageous and highly honor-obsessed warrior ethos is well described, along with some of the usual speculations about how their beliefs made them more or less fatalistic and/or brave, which the author clearly regards as self-evident but which may not may not be the whole story (again, this is not a quibble about this book in particular; I am just increasingly skeptical of speculations in this category in general).
The author has made good use of a wide variety of European and Muslim sources. There is a description of a Viking-Rus chief's funeral rites and the ritualized rape that was indulged in by all his subordinates to honor him (this from Ibn Fadlan's account) that gives a good indication of the distance from that world to ours. Incidentally, I read Michael Crichton's "Eaters of the dead" back in 1980 or so, based partly on Ibn Fadlan's account of his journeys among the Rus. I remember it as being a very fun read. It would be a nice quick snack alongside this book.
Overall, well worth a read.
Tangential thought: It seems the conversion of X to Roman Catholicism versus Y to Orthodox Christianity and Z to Islam (sometimes for very random contingent reasons) led to borders that are more culturally and historically significant to this day than almost any other factor. In the hierarchy of identities, the demotion of religion is a recent and very limited and incomplete phenomenon. We don't have to go back to that world, but it would be foolish to act as if it did not exist until recently and still does in too many ways... Even if and when it is transcended, the chances of doing so AND replacing its power with new ones is better if that power is more clearly understood and acknowledged.
May 18, 2017
Book that covers Dark Age (around late 700s to the early twelfth century) Scandinavia. The book opens with a well written introduction on the Vikings world view followed by an opening chapter setting out the origins of the Viking Societies. Most of the rest of the book then follows a geographical theme – looking at the interaction of the Vikings with various areas (for example England, the France, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Eastern Europe) and particularly considering what part the Vikings played in the development of that area (typically their armed raids in some way perturbed the balance of power) and what evidence of their involvement still remains (typically the more successful Scandinavians settled down and were integrated into the local population). A chapter then follows on the Norse adventures in the North Atlantic (the founding of Iceland and Greenland) and the expeditions to America, before returning to England and the interventions of the Scandinavians in the defining events of the 100 year period from late 900s which culminated in the Norwegian defeat at Stamford Bridge. A detailed chapter then looks at the establishment of kingdoms in each of Denmark, Norway and (more gradually) Sweden and argues that ultimately Scandinavia was assimilated into the cultural mainstream of the Roman Catholic world and that the parallel peace with Christian nations and the establishment of stable government meant that advancement and riches through Viking raids was replaced by more conventional social and political advancement. A final melancholic chapter looks at the gradual decline of the hold-out Viking colonies in places such as the Orkneys, Isle of Man, Hebrides and most poignantly Greenland (effectively cut off by the Little Ice Age). Overall an interesting book. The author has an interesting mix of styles: periods when he suddenly veers off into too much detail on a minor area - particularly when examining archaeological evidence of Scandinavian sites; capable of writing long passages which rattle through lists of dynastic successions and battles which are very hard for the non-expert reader to engage with; but who is also capable of standing back and summarising whole periods into their key outcomes as well as identifying mega-themes across the book.
June 15, 2017
I believe this may be the best account of the golden years of the “Viking Age” from 793-1241. It’s interesting to note that this highlight period of the Northmen coincides with the Dark Ages, a time when little history was recorded. With this in mind I must warn readers that it is in textbook form and the documentation, although very thorough, seems repetitive as Scandinavians, predominately Danish Kings, set forth with warriors on war ships to prey on weaker civilizations looting, plundering and demanding ransoms.
November 5, 2016
A brief but comprehensive narrative history of the Vikings, very interesting.
August 22, 2018
Why read just one Viking book, when you can read half a dozen? Don't they all say pretty much the same thing? Given that the Vikings existed a very long time ago surely all that can be said about them, has been said? Well, yes. And no. Obviously - you don't need me to tell you - there are good books about the Vikings and there are bad books about the Vikings. Some are more readable - for the average Joe like me - and some are deadly dull, but still very worthy. These days, books about The Vikings can't be filled with just the latest finds - which will only ever nowadays alter our understanding of them in a minor way (unless they find a new site in the Americas I guess). So, from our point of view, the reader, and from the Publisher's point of view, because they want us to go out and buy them - there has to be an angle.
"Tell me exactly why do we need another book about the Vikings, young man?"
"Well, I'm gonna do it differently..."
What this one does differently is...well, difficult to put a finger on. It's well written, points made, points argued, points proved. It's written pretty much chronologically, starting with the earliest known raids, to the final integrations into the different nation states - and other nation states. Along the way, there some new (to me) ways of looking at what we already knew. Maybe it's that that sets it apart. And concise, not much time/space wasted. As regards the left a unique impact bit, I felt he was rather more negative regarding their impact, than that would suggest and what is clearly provable. I used to live near Wetherby, called a small stream a beck, and liked going to the Yorkshire Dales, to name just three linguistic examples (you can go find out the what and the why of those).
But shouldn't there be a North Women as well? Without North Women, there wouldn't have been any North Men, I'm thinking.
Otherwise, a very fine addition to my Viking library and one that could well fit in yours as well.
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"Tell me exactly why do we need another book about the Vikings, young man?"
"Well, I'm gonna do it differently..."
What this one does differently is...well, difficult to put a finger on. It's well written, points made, points argued, points proved. It's written pretty much chronologically, starting with the earliest known raids, to the final integrations into the different nation states - and other nation states. Along the way, there some new (to me) ways of looking at what we already knew. Maybe it's that that sets it apart. And concise, not much time/space wasted. As regards the left a unique impact bit, I felt he was rather more negative regarding their impact, than that would suggest and what is clearly provable. I used to live near Wetherby, called a small stream a beck, and liked going to the Yorkshire Dales, to name just three linguistic examples (you can go find out the what and the why of those).
But shouldn't there be a North Women as well? Without North Women, there wouldn't have been any North Men, I'm thinking.
Otherwise, a very fine addition to my Viking library and one that could well fit in yours as well.
Read THE blog: Speesh Reads
Join THE Facebook Page: Speesh Reads
August 16, 2017
There were times when Haywood loses the Vikings in his discussions of the peoples they invaded. And there were times when I lost them in the repetitive names common at times (like in European monarchies!). He chooses to discuss them in separate sections depending on what group/nation they were interacting with. He never discusses them overall though he makes it clear that there wasn't really an "overall"--there were Norwegians, and Danes, and Swedes.
April 1, 2024
Not your atypical historical narrative. Interesting in some parts, dry in others. It’s a good survey of Viking activity from beginning to end but not much in the way of describing the people and who they are. I would think a little more analysis of the sagas might reveal as much, but I wouldn’t know as I’ve never read them. If you read it, maybe skip the audiobook version as the reader sounded a bit bored.
August 30, 2018
Thank ODIN I'm finished with this. (The fact that I wrote that as the first thing that came to my head caused me to remove a star. That's a fun behind the Plots & Points fact!)
I will come right out and say it, I'm just not cut out to READ history in the authoritative fact based nature it is almost always presented in. There are so many names, and places and a lot of it is so BRIEFLY relevant that it's next to impossible for me to really get invested. That is, ironically, the greatest strength of Northmen and the main reason I just couldn't LOVE it.
Northmen details the entire Viking saga, the whole shebang, from beginning to end. It starts with the early Scandinavia and follows the trail of warriors, explorers, plunderers and kings all the way through until the final viking villages faded into obscurity.
The book is structured in a way that I found pretty hard to follow. Haywood decided to focus on one geographical location at a time, England, Francia, The middle-east and so on. This resulted in a really muddled experience where we're jumping all over the timeline constantly, names and places that were relevant in one part will pop up again later after we'd already learned about that person's death and for me I would have much preferred if the material was tackled chronologically, just to give it a bit more of a 'narrative' throughline for lack of a better term.
The writing style is also very dry. There are hints of a bit of humour peppered throughout, with the occasional witty barb but these are so few and far between that I can't imagine it being anything other than incidental. I understand that non-fiction is primarily intended to inform but it never hurts to put a bit of personality into it. This book was such a grinding slog that I was dreading how much longer there was to go by the end.
That said the information in here is really really interesting. The evolution of Viking culture from raiders to settlers to rulers that became assimilated into early medieval Europe was a fascinating journey to go on (even if I did have to read about that process about 16 times in different countries!). I did ultimately learn a lot from reading the book and I don't regret it because it's a period of history that is honestly poorly understood by almost everyone. This one was really more a failure in presentation than anything else.
The takeaway from this is that even though history is a mess of interesting characters and events that are engaging in their own right this counts for very little if the person writing about it has all the style of a pair of beige curtains. I didn't know it was possible to be interested in something and bored to tears by it at the same time until I read this. So, go out there and learn about the vikings... just don't do it from this guy.
I will come right out and say it, I'm just not cut out to READ history in the authoritative fact based nature it is almost always presented in. There are so many names, and places and a lot of it is so BRIEFLY relevant that it's next to impossible for me to really get invested. That is, ironically, the greatest strength of Northmen and the main reason I just couldn't LOVE it.
Northmen details the entire Viking saga, the whole shebang, from beginning to end. It starts with the early Scandinavia and follows the trail of warriors, explorers, plunderers and kings all the way through until the final viking villages faded into obscurity.
The book is structured in a way that I found pretty hard to follow. Haywood decided to focus on one geographical location at a time, England, Francia, The middle-east and so on. This resulted in a really muddled experience where we're jumping all over the timeline constantly, names and places that were relevant in one part will pop up again later after we'd already learned about that person's death and for me I would have much preferred if the material was tackled chronologically, just to give it a bit more of a 'narrative' throughline for lack of a better term.
The writing style is also very dry. There are hints of a bit of humour peppered throughout, with the occasional witty barb but these are so few and far between that I can't imagine it being anything other than incidental. I understand that non-fiction is primarily intended to inform but it never hurts to put a bit of personality into it. This book was such a grinding slog that I was dreading how much longer there was to go by the end.
That said the information in here is really really interesting. The evolution of Viking culture from raiders to settlers to rulers that became assimilated into early medieval Europe was a fascinating journey to go on (even if I did have to read about that process about 16 times in different countries!). I did ultimately learn a lot from reading the book and I don't regret it because it's a period of history that is honestly poorly understood by almost everyone. This one was really more a failure in presentation than anything else.
The takeaway from this is that even though history is a mess of interesting characters and events that are engaging in their own right this counts for very little if the person writing about it has all the style of a pair of beige curtains. I didn't know it was possible to be interested in something and bored to tears by it at the same time until I read this. So, go out there and learn about the vikings... just don't do it from this guy.
April 4, 2022
I enjoy learning about the Vikings, and there was a lot to learn in this book, but I just couldn't get into it. There's way to much information spanning far too great a period of time in too many locations to try to pull together any kind of narrative arc. There's a lot here that just isn't that interesting, and many of the interesting things are glossed over so quickly that the reader feels a little cheated. It's not really clear if there is any sort of central position or argument, and therefore, the whole work seems to lack focus.
Furthermore, if there's one thing that really irks me as a reader, it's a book with 6 maps that fails to make sure all of the locations in the book made it onto one of the maps.
Furthermore, if there's one thing that really irks me as a reader, it's a book with 6 maps that fails to make sure all of the locations in the book made it onto one of the maps.
October 5, 2016
I confess I did not read every word. A comprehensive history, battle by battle, king by king, boat by boat. Interesting for those who want to understand the cultural history of the Scandanavian people, especially the Danes, after the Iron Age began.
October 3, 2016
An engagingly-written and wide-ranging overview of the Viking era! Here's my longer review:
http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/boo...
http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/boo...
January 25, 2019
For a purely historical ennumeration of events, this book has been pretty thrilling to me. Maybe because I had been wanting to get some serious insight on the Viking Age for some time, which is exactly what this book provided. Even for someone who isn't used to read this kind of historical telling, this can be appealing. Haywood presents a lot of information in a fairly organized format, including some extra materials, such as a cronology, quite useful for the reader to make better sense of all the names, places and dates provided.
Surprisingly, North Men has also given me some indirect insight about modern Scandinavian nations, which I didn't expect and I wasn't looking for. Not only that, but the book provides an useful and detailed explanation of the Vikings' influence in several parts of Europe. Despite the long telling of raids, petty kings and battles, I found that reading this was a enjoyable experience. At some points I was deeply caught by it, despite not having a "plot".
I've only missed some more attention on Viking culture and art. Maybe that's the only thing that I really felt was lacking: some pages about how these kingdoms' culture and way of life evolved along the centuries and all the interchanges that they had with several other nations. Also it feels like more could be said about he role of women in Viking societies.
But, in any case, I've enjoyed reading this. I've learnt a lot and it never felt too long, dense or beyond my reach. I think it a really good text for those who, like me, lack a background in History, and are looking for an accesible approach to Vikingb influence in Europe. I cannot say anything about the quallity of the author's historical research, as I don't have the knowledge to judge that. But, as an outsider, it has been really enlightening.
Surprisingly, North Men has also given me some indirect insight about modern Scandinavian nations, which I didn't expect and I wasn't looking for. Not only that, but the book provides an useful and detailed explanation of the Vikings' influence in several parts of Europe. Despite the long telling of raids, petty kings and battles, I found that reading this was a enjoyable experience. At some points I was deeply caught by it, despite not having a "plot".
I've only missed some more attention on Viking culture and art. Maybe that's the only thing that I really felt was lacking: some pages about how these kingdoms' culture and way of life evolved along the centuries and all the interchanges that they had with several other nations. Also it feels like more could be said about he role of women in Viking societies.
But, in any case, I've enjoyed reading this. I've learnt a lot and it never felt too long, dense or beyond my reach. I think it a really good text for those who, like me, lack a background in History, and are looking for an accesible approach to Vikingb influence in Europe. I cannot say anything about the quallity of the author's historical research, as I don't have the knowledge to judge that. But, as an outsider, it has been really enlightening.
October 22, 2020
I was prompted to read this book after reading the fiction tale "The Wolf in the Whale". It took me quite awhile to read and digest some of it mostly because in early European history as this covers, many names are the same through out centuries and it's hard to remember who was where when.
John has done a wonderful job of portraying the Vikings as they really were, a bunch of barbarians at times but fearless and persevering in many ways and situations. I learned much about Scandinavian life at the time and was surprised at how most of Scandinavia was heavily influenced by the peoples they raided vs the other way around.
I have some other peoples to investigate later on: the Wends, Rus and several others.
If you have roots that began in Scandinavia as I do on my father's side, you will find many things of interest in this volume. It is also very readable.
John has done a wonderful job of portraying the Vikings as they really were, a bunch of barbarians at times but fearless and persevering in many ways and situations. I learned much about Scandinavian life at the time and was surprised at how most of Scandinavia was heavily influenced by the peoples they raided vs the other way around.
I have some other peoples to investigate later on: the Wends, Rus and several others.
If you have roots that began in Scandinavia as I do on my father's side, you will find many things of interest in this volume. It is also very readable.
August 12, 2021
Libro que nos narra las andanzas de los pueblos nórdicos en el periodo vikingo. Como el autor advierte en la introducción, no debemos esperar un relato en el que nos cuenten como se "sentían" o "pensaban" los vikingos, tan habitual en algunas obras actuales.
Al tratar un periodo tan amplio, tanto en lo cronológico como en lo geográfico, hay momentos en los que la narración se parece a un sin parar de fechas y nombres que difícilmente se pueden quedar en nuestra cabeza, resultando en una lectura por momentos árida.
Con todo, es una lectura imprescindible para aquellos que quieran conocer el mundo vikingo desde el punto de vista histórico y no mítico.
Al tratar un periodo tan amplio, tanto en lo cronológico como en lo geográfico, hay momentos en los que la narración se parece a un sin parar de fechas y nombres que difícilmente se pueden quedar en nuestra cabeza, resultando en una lectura por momentos árida.
Con todo, es una lectura imprescindible para aquellos que quieran conocer el mundo vikingo desde el punto de vista histórico y no mítico.
December 29, 2025
Excellent research, but way too many dates, individual names (everyone is some interation of Harald), town names, and rivers in rapid succession on each page for my tiny brain to absorb. The last two chapters give more of an overview of the period, which I would have appreciated more. Luckily, I had taken a class on the Vikings, in which the author's atlas was used, but even that limited prior knowledge didn't help. It took me almost a year to read it because I had to keep putting it down and reading something else.
June 9, 2019
Хорошая, вводная книга по истории норманнов. Хотя для неспециалиста будет немного перегруженной именами и датами.
Но даже для себя много нового открыл, поскольку у нас на истфаке историю скандинавских стран изучали по верхам, в силу того, что направление иное было.
Но даже для себя много нового открыл, поскольку у нас на истфаке историю скандинавских стран изучали по верхам, в силу того, что направление иное было.
July 11, 2018
To be honest I haven't read every word in the book. A decent read.
March 15, 2024
One of most encompassing histories of the Vikings and their simulation to European society.
December 22, 2025
so i did read this for vikings class and like it was good but def dense for information at times- overall i liked it and liked the viking class . overall 3.1 stars
October 9, 2024
Notable insights into the factors that drove Christian expansion even in areas that did not have any of the seeming prerequisites for it - administrative talents and diplomatic legitimacy. Most interesting for how the author describes the Viking age as a symptom of, and ending due to, state consolidation projects in Europe.
Sections regarding the Kyievan Rus have a distinct Russo-centric view, going to far as to erroneously describe Yaroslav as “king in russia”.
Sections regarding the Kyievan Rus have a distinct Russo-centric view, going to far as to erroneously describe Yaroslav as “king in russia”.
February 9, 2020
Laat ik maar met de deur in huis vallen, dit is naar mijn mening geen goed boek. De auteur, John Haywood, heeft één van de grootste fout gemaakt die je als historicus kan maken en dat is zich vereenzelvigen met zijn onderwerp; Niet de vikingen maar hun vijanden. Door regelmatig bronnen die over vikingen (zoals ik vanaf nu alle sprekers van oud noors en zich identificerend met die cultuur zal benoemen) heel letterlijk te nemen of zonder enige context schetsingen citeren, bronnen die logischerwijze vrij negatief waren. Het eindresultaat is een boek waarbij de vikingen doorheen het boek als barbaren, gewelddadig en weerzingwekkend worden bestempelt totdat ze door druk van hun omgeving integreerden in de Katholieke cultuur van Middeleeuws Europa.
Vooraleer ik verder ga, wil ik benadrukken dat ik zelf geen fan ben van plunderen, moord en brandstichting maar iedereen deed het. Wat mij zo stoorde doorheen het boek, was hoe Hohn Haywood onverdedigbaar de “slachtoffers” als beter voorstelt dan de vikingen alsof ze een moral highground hadden terwijl het netzozeer samenlevingen waren waar geweld doordrenkt was. Het beste bewijs van dit onkritisch behandelen van bronmateriaal is de letterlijke weergave van een reisverhaal van een Arabische handelaar die in Zuid Rusland in contact kwam met Rus Vikingen. (kleine sidenote dit contact met de Arabische wereld lichte ook aankomst van enkele Rus in Bagdad waar hij de reeds lang ontkrachtte mythe van een miljoen inwoners weer herhaald; de stad had maximaal 450.000 inwoners). Een relaas vol met beweringen over seks en verkrachting in hun kampement, in het openbaar, tijdens begrafenissen en feesten waar ik enkel maar over kan denken; “wie kan dit nu als waarheid nemen?” Er is een lange traditie van buitenstaanders die dergelijke reizen maken en in de relasen een overmatige ik zou zelfs zeg seksualiteit obsessie verwerken die met ferme korrels zout moeten genomen worden. Het beste voorbeeld daarvan is John Smith, de Engelse kolonist die Pocahontas ontmoette en beweerde in een boek dat hij samen met haar als voluptueuze 22 jarige en dertig andere inheemse vrouwen een orgie had gehad, terwijl de echte Pocahontas die hij ontmoette 12 was geweest en ja dat andere deel was dus ook een complete leugen. Het punt zijnde, het is een feit dat leden van samenlevingen waar seksualiteit meer taboe was, met name die van Christelijke of Islamitische aard heel bizarre getuigenissen aflegde over seksualiteit bij andere volkeren, die best beschreven wordt als een uiting van seksuele frustratie. Waarom wordt dit zo letterlijk opgenomen? Omdat het natuurlijk des te beter past in het narratief en beeld van Haywood van de vikingen als primitieven beestachtige mensen voor te stellen en het blijft daar niet bij.
Wat mij ook verwonderde was de behandeling van de titels die respectievelijke leiders van culturen hadden. Met name de vroege gekende vikingleiders hadden namen die met name de bron van viking geschiedenis tonen, de skalden en sagen. Namen zoals Ivar de botteloze, Ragnar Harige broek of Björn ironhide die uiteraard een propaganda doel hadden om hun vaardigheden als krijgers en aura als leiders aan te kondigen. Dat kan wel zijn, maar in dit zelfde boek komen ook Koningen zoals Karel de Kale, Karel de dikke en ook Engelse leiders die Ironside als titel hadden. Wat is het verschil hier? Het enige dat ik kan zien is dat de één een groep figuren zijn van non christelijke samenleving waar persoonlijke verwezenlijkingen de basis zijn van vluchtig en te verdedigen leiderschap tegenover de andere leden zijn van een samenleving waar geboorterecht belangrijker was en waar de ambitie een stuk formeler waren.
Dit onrespectvol en ongelijk behandelen van verschillende aspecten van de viking samenlevingen komt gelukkig niet overal door met name in de hoofdstukken waar de oud noren de enige in zicht zijn (pre historisch scandinavië waar de half vergeten reizen van enkele griekse handelaars en ook Ierse monikken aan bod komen en met name de kolonisaties van de Faeroër, Orkneys, Ijsland en Groenland) komen aspecten van hun cultuur aan bod die in andere hoofdstukken sterk onderbelicht werden. Met name hoe de samenleving met intern conflict omging. Door het organiseren van “dingen” vergaderingen van vrije mannen van enige reputatie en status om te palaveren, wet te maken en recht te spreken. Echter ondanks dat deze instituten op Ijsland tot de 18de eeuw en op door vikingen overgenomen en gekoloniseerd Island of man tot de 20ste eeuw en eilanden van inspraak en democratie waren ongekend in een eerst fedolale en later absolutistisch Europa, wordt dit omschreven als afwijkingen om weinig erkenning voor te geven. Het komt voor mij over alsof Haywood dit als een restant beschouwd van hun verleden van toen ze nog niet echt volwaardig gelijk waren als de rest van Europa wat dus met andere woorden wel haast moest verdwijnen. Een ander voorbeeld van dergelijk afkeuren van gewoontes en cultuur omdat de rest van Europa anders was, is de rol van vrouwen. Eerder in het boek merkte hij terloops op dat vikingvrouwen nooit gevochten hebben (iets dat met recent archeologisch en forensisch onderzoek in twijfel wordt getrokken met verschillende krijgersgraven die nu geïdentificeert werden als vrouwelijk) maar liet het daarbij. Later geeft hij dan aan dat vikingvrouwen meer rechten, vrijheden en zelfstandigheid hadden dan alle andere samenlevingen in Europa van die tijd met ondermeer recht op eigendom, scheiding, controle over kinderen en bestuursrecht. Rechten die ze allemaal zouden verliezen, geeft hij aan, dankzij integratie in katholiek dominante cultuur van west en midden Europa. Dit roept echter geen uiting van weerzin of spijt of andere emoties op die Haywood doorheen het boek gul heeft gezaaid. Nee, het is maar een zoveelste hindernis voor integratie, een zoveelste bewijs van primitivisme van de vikingen neem ik aan?
Dat allemaal gezegd zijnde wil ik toch wel ook goede punten aanhalen. Indien je op zoek bent naar een handig overzicht van militaire en politieke ontwikkelingen waar de oud noorse samenlevingen bij betrokken waren dan is dit waarschijnlijk één van de beste boeken. Het is ook met name heel gedetailleerd omtrent de aanwezigheid van de vikingen in de Britse eilanden met name de Orkneys en Hebriden alsook gaat het vrij diep in detail van de legendarische rooftocht in de Middelandse zee en de bizarre geschiedenis van de Varangiaanse garde, de noorse elite troepen van de Byzantijnse keizers. Echter daar ook weer opletten met te letterlijk nemen van bronnen, de vikingen in die garde van Byzantium worden uitzonderlijk positief beschreven en ik vermoed omdat de byzantijnen zelf zo positief over hen schreven, wat niet onlogisch is gezien ze amper getroffen zijn door viking plunderingen en hun zogenaamde onbeheersbare bloeddorst konden gebruiken. Het doet mij wat denken aan de Britse obsessie met de Sikhs als krijgers en hoe deze zo positief werden en worden voorgesteld t.o.v. alle andere Indische volkeren omdat ze zo handig voor empire waren. Pratend over empire, laat ik toch wel aanduiden dat naarmate christianisering sterker doorweegt in Scandinavië en de daaraan gelinkte strijd voor centralisering en machtsconcentratie, de voorstelling van politieke ambities van de oud noorse koningen een stuk evenwichtiger worden voorgesteld. Maar dit gaat dan wel in de vorm van haast eindeloze hagiografie van namen en aristocratische titels waardoor je moeilijk overzicht kan behouden over wat nu het punt was. De voorliefde voor die grote titels en namen en het afkeuren van de “lagere” figuren die door hun eigen prestatie en kunnen konden opwerken doet je op den duur een irrationele voorliefde voor aristocratie vermoeden en afkeer van opwerken in het leven van lageraf. Enige uitzondering op dit soort opklimmen zijn adelijke figuren die door tegenslag of als zoon van zo een figuur toch konden macht herwinnen met name Haldar Hardrada die als lid van de varangiaanse garde in Byzantium heeft gediend.
Ik kan enkel maar aangeven dat dit boek mij teleurstelt. Indien je een boek schrijft dat je titel geeft, de vikingsaga dan verwacht ik een boek dat het verhaal van hun standpunt wil vertellen en niet van de winnaars. Opnieuw, geen grote fan van plunderingen en piraterij of vernielingen maar anderzijds ben ik ook geen fan van machtsconcentratie, politieke moorden op hen die die macht willen inperken, gedwongen bekeringen en verlies van vrijheden. Het doel van een historicus is naar mijn mening en als ik in een lyrische bui ben, de kans bieden om de doden te laten spreken en in mijn minder lyrische bui zou ik zeggen heeft het als doel conventie en assumpties te breken. Dit boek wil echter vooral benadrukken hoe vreselijk deze mensen wel niet waren, die zoveel barbaarser waren dan al hun buren. Om het met de woorden van Robert E Howard te zeggen, mijn reactie op deze boodschap is “The more I see of what you call civilization, the more highly I think of what you call savagery!”
Je zou haast vergeten dankzij dit boek, hoe sterk die viking cultuur een rol heeft gespeeld bij de 18de en 19de eeuwse scandinavische nationalistische en romantische cultuur, invloeden die vandaag nog doorspelen in populaire cultuur en muziek. Mogelijk is dat de primaire motivatie geweest van Haywood, een zo negatief mogelijke boodschap geven om die fascinatie de grond in te boren;
Daar heb ik maar één ding op te zeggen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hivlp...
Vooraleer ik verder ga, wil ik benadrukken dat ik zelf geen fan ben van plunderen, moord en brandstichting maar iedereen deed het. Wat mij zo stoorde doorheen het boek, was hoe Hohn Haywood onverdedigbaar de “slachtoffers” als beter voorstelt dan de vikingen alsof ze een moral highground hadden terwijl het netzozeer samenlevingen waren waar geweld doordrenkt was. Het beste bewijs van dit onkritisch behandelen van bronmateriaal is de letterlijke weergave van een reisverhaal van een Arabische handelaar die in Zuid Rusland in contact kwam met Rus Vikingen. (kleine sidenote dit contact met de Arabische wereld lichte ook aankomst van enkele Rus in Bagdad waar hij de reeds lang ontkrachtte mythe van een miljoen inwoners weer herhaald; de stad had maximaal 450.000 inwoners). Een relaas vol met beweringen over seks en verkrachting in hun kampement, in het openbaar, tijdens begrafenissen en feesten waar ik enkel maar over kan denken; “wie kan dit nu als waarheid nemen?” Er is een lange traditie van buitenstaanders die dergelijke reizen maken en in de relasen een overmatige ik zou zelfs zeg seksualiteit obsessie verwerken die met ferme korrels zout moeten genomen worden. Het beste voorbeeld daarvan is John Smith, de Engelse kolonist die Pocahontas ontmoette en beweerde in een boek dat hij samen met haar als voluptueuze 22 jarige en dertig andere inheemse vrouwen een orgie had gehad, terwijl de echte Pocahontas die hij ontmoette 12 was geweest en ja dat andere deel was dus ook een complete leugen. Het punt zijnde, het is een feit dat leden van samenlevingen waar seksualiteit meer taboe was, met name die van Christelijke of Islamitische aard heel bizarre getuigenissen aflegde over seksualiteit bij andere volkeren, die best beschreven wordt als een uiting van seksuele frustratie. Waarom wordt dit zo letterlijk opgenomen? Omdat het natuurlijk des te beter past in het narratief en beeld van Haywood van de vikingen als primitieven beestachtige mensen voor te stellen en het blijft daar niet bij.
Wat mij ook verwonderde was de behandeling van de titels die respectievelijke leiders van culturen hadden. Met name de vroege gekende vikingleiders hadden namen die met name de bron van viking geschiedenis tonen, de skalden en sagen. Namen zoals Ivar de botteloze, Ragnar Harige broek of Björn ironhide die uiteraard een propaganda doel hadden om hun vaardigheden als krijgers en aura als leiders aan te kondigen. Dat kan wel zijn, maar in dit zelfde boek komen ook Koningen zoals Karel de Kale, Karel de dikke en ook Engelse leiders die Ironside als titel hadden. Wat is het verschil hier? Het enige dat ik kan zien is dat de één een groep figuren zijn van non christelijke samenleving waar persoonlijke verwezenlijkingen de basis zijn van vluchtig en te verdedigen leiderschap tegenover de andere leden zijn van een samenleving waar geboorterecht belangrijker was en waar de ambitie een stuk formeler waren.
Dit onrespectvol en ongelijk behandelen van verschillende aspecten van de viking samenlevingen komt gelukkig niet overal door met name in de hoofdstukken waar de oud noren de enige in zicht zijn (pre historisch scandinavië waar de half vergeten reizen van enkele griekse handelaars en ook Ierse monikken aan bod komen en met name de kolonisaties van de Faeroër, Orkneys, Ijsland en Groenland) komen aspecten van hun cultuur aan bod die in andere hoofdstukken sterk onderbelicht werden. Met name hoe de samenleving met intern conflict omging. Door het organiseren van “dingen” vergaderingen van vrije mannen van enige reputatie en status om te palaveren, wet te maken en recht te spreken. Echter ondanks dat deze instituten op Ijsland tot de 18de eeuw en op door vikingen overgenomen en gekoloniseerd Island of man tot de 20ste eeuw en eilanden van inspraak en democratie waren ongekend in een eerst fedolale en later absolutistisch Europa, wordt dit omschreven als afwijkingen om weinig erkenning voor te geven. Het komt voor mij over alsof Haywood dit als een restant beschouwd van hun verleden van toen ze nog niet echt volwaardig gelijk waren als de rest van Europa wat dus met andere woorden wel haast moest verdwijnen. Een ander voorbeeld van dergelijk afkeuren van gewoontes en cultuur omdat de rest van Europa anders was, is de rol van vrouwen. Eerder in het boek merkte hij terloops op dat vikingvrouwen nooit gevochten hebben (iets dat met recent archeologisch en forensisch onderzoek in twijfel wordt getrokken met verschillende krijgersgraven die nu geïdentificeert werden als vrouwelijk) maar liet het daarbij. Later geeft hij dan aan dat vikingvrouwen meer rechten, vrijheden en zelfstandigheid hadden dan alle andere samenlevingen in Europa van die tijd met ondermeer recht op eigendom, scheiding, controle over kinderen en bestuursrecht. Rechten die ze allemaal zouden verliezen, geeft hij aan, dankzij integratie in katholiek dominante cultuur van west en midden Europa. Dit roept echter geen uiting van weerzin of spijt of andere emoties op die Haywood doorheen het boek gul heeft gezaaid. Nee, het is maar een zoveelste hindernis voor integratie, een zoveelste bewijs van primitivisme van de vikingen neem ik aan?
Dat allemaal gezegd zijnde wil ik toch wel ook goede punten aanhalen. Indien je op zoek bent naar een handig overzicht van militaire en politieke ontwikkelingen waar de oud noorse samenlevingen bij betrokken waren dan is dit waarschijnlijk één van de beste boeken. Het is ook met name heel gedetailleerd omtrent de aanwezigheid van de vikingen in de Britse eilanden met name de Orkneys en Hebriden alsook gaat het vrij diep in detail van de legendarische rooftocht in de Middelandse zee en de bizarre geschiedenis van de Varangiaanse garde, de noorse elite troepen van de Byzantijnse keizers. Echter daar ook weer opletten met te letterlijk nemen van bronnen, de vikingen in die garde van Byzantium worden uitzonderlijk positief beschreven en ik vermoed omdat de byzantijnen zelf zo positief over hen schreven, wat niet onlogisch is gezien ze amper getroffen zijn door viking plunderingen en hun zogenaamde onbeheersbare bloeddorst konden gebruiken. Het doet mij wat denken aan de Britse obsessie met de Sikhs als krijgers en hoe deze zo positief werden en worden voorgesteld t.o.v. alle andere Indische volkeren omdat ze zo handig voor empire waren. Pratend over empire, laat ik toch wel aanduiden dat naarmate christianisering sterker doorweegt in Scandinavië en de daaraan gelinkte strijd voor centralisering en machtsconcentratie, de voorstelling van politieke ambities van de oud noorse koningen een stuk evenwichtiger worden voorgesteld. Maar dit gaat dan wel in de vorm van haast eindeloze hagiografie van namen en aristocratische titels waardoor je moeilijk overzicht kan behouden over wat nu het punt was. De voorliefde voor die grote titels en namen en het afkeuren van de “lagere” figuren die door hun eigen prestatie en kunnen konden opwerken doet je op den duur een irrationele voorliefde voor aristocratie vermoeden en afkeer van opwerken in het leven van lageraf. Enige uitzondering op dit soort opklimmen zijn adelijke figuren die door tegenslag of als zoon van zo een figuur toch konden macht herwinnen met name Haldar Hardrada die als lid van de varangiaanse garde in Byzantium heeft gediend.
Ik kan enkel maar aangeven dat dit boek mij teleurstelt. Indien je een boek schrijft dat je titel geeft, de vikingsaga dan verwacht ik een boek dat het verhaal van hun standpunt wil vertellen en niet van de winnaars. Opnieuw, geen grote fan van plunderingen en piraterij of vernielingen maar anderzijds ben ik ook geen fan van machtsconcentratie, politieke moorden op hen die die macht willen inperken, gedwongen bekeringen en verlies van vrijheden. Het doel van een historicus is naar mijn mening en als ik in een lyrische bui ben, de kans bieden om de doden te laten spreken en in mijn minder lyrische bui zou ik zeggen heeft het als doel conventie en assumpties te breken. Dit boek wil echter vooral benadrukken hoe vreselijk deze mensen wel niet waren, die zoveel barbaarser waren dan al hun buren. Om het met de woorden van Robert E Howard te zeggen, mijn reactie op deze boodschap is “The more I see of what you call civilization, the more highly I think of what you call savagery!”
Je zou haast vergeten dankzij dit boek, hoe sterk die viking cultuur een rol heeft gespeeld bij de 18de en 19de eeuwse scandinavische nationalistische en romantische cultuur, invloeden die vandaag nog doorspelen in populaire cultuur en muziek. Mogelijk is dat de primaire motivatie geweest van Haywood, een zo negatief mogelijke boodschap geven om die fascinatie de grond in te boren;
Daar heb ik maar één ding op te zeggen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hivlp...
October 12, 2022
Northmen by John Haywood seemed to me like a great introduction to the Viking topic that has been so popular among TV show viewers in the last 10 years. A trend that seems to be going strong still.
However, as we know TV shows producers tend to take many liberties, I felt compelled to grab a good academic history book on the subject and this one did not disappoint.
Haywood starts with a quick overview of the Viking religion and mythology, which I think is a great way to introduce the topic. Anthony Everitt did something similar in The Rise of Athens and I found it was an effective way to help the reader get familiar with the mythology, which may eventually wake an interest. He proceeds to explain the origins of the Vikings through the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, relying heavily on archeological findings to provide blurry but sufficiently clear pictures of the centuries that preceded the Viking movements toward Western Europe toward 789.
I thought it was fascinating to understand the inner workings of Scandinavian society (societies) in order to explain what led the Vikings to move as they did. A mix of environmental pressure (not enough space for agriculture despite a growing population), a warrior society where many individuals could be claimants for a throne but few were chosen, leaving the rest to find other avenues, a system where leaders needed to ensure their following were provided with wealth and privileges if they were to guarantee their loyalty, and a religion that told men that if they died old in their bed, they woul not go to Valhalla. Those are some of the factors that help explain why the people inhabiting Scandinavia at this time decided to raid and settle elsewhere and why they were so violent.
Vikings have received a lot of bad press in the past, thanks to the Christian chroniclers who had every reason of painting the pagans in a negative light. In the past few years, Vikings have been depicted in popular media in a much more positive light, often giving them the role of the "good pagans" vs the "mean christians". It is, for example, striking to see in numerous TV shows the Vikings reveling in killing unarmed monks as well as women but still being depicted as being the good guys. They'll also often be depicted as the more cunning ones vs the less smart Christians. This positive view is also displayed in the academically world where, for example, historians such as Michael Pyne in The Edge of the World, will focus more on the settler and trader aspects of the Vikings (which are very important) while downplaying their violent behaviour which resulted in the incessant raids in Western Europe that so traumatized the chroniclers. With Haywood, the view of Vikings tends to be objective but their violence and ruthlessness is not downplayed. He explains for example how during the war with Alfred the Great, they swore an oath on their own Norse religion items and gave hostages so that they would leave. However, they lied and soon returned to wage war, reneging on their oath and abandoning the hostages to their fate. This is not to say that Christians did not do such thing but it does show that Vikings were ruthless and the chroniclers are not necessarily entirely wrong.
Once we get to the first "main invasions" of 789 and beyond, we start with the famous sack or Lindisfarne and quickly move on to discover Alfred the Great and his reforms that helped the Anglo-Saxons resist better to Vikings. Ragnar and his sons are very quickly skimmed over, which is a bit of a downer when you're a fan of the tv series. This may be proof that the TV show overplayed Ragnar's importance? Regardless, we follow Alfred until his death, succeeded by his son Edward who managed to conquer most of the Viking kingdoms with the exception of the kingdom of York until we reach the end of the unification of England which, the author argues, may not have happened without the Vikings' intervention.
Follow the Vikings raids in Francia where they were taking advantage of the political instability. The Frankish kings were busier reasserting their authority and putting down disloyal lords and often paid Vikings to make them go away, which as a result attracted more of them who looked for the same thing. The author describes the multiple sieges of Paris that took place and one who has seen the Vikings TV series can hardly not think about the Siege of Paris depicted there.
The author finishes his overview of Vikings in Francia by declaring that the Vikings' influence was not as central to the making of Francia compared to England. Regardless of their presence, Frankish royal authority would have been struggling against the local lords. Viking influence did accelerate the decline but it was not the driving factor. Finally, Haywood explains clearly that by the time of William the Conqueror, the Normans were indeed fully assimilated to French culture. They fought the same way, spoke the same language, adopted the same customs. Thus, they truly assimilated to the local population, just as they did in England, Ireland, Scotland, and pretty much anywhere they settled with a few exceptions.
The author is careful to give England and Scotland separate treatments and goes on to tell the story of the Vikings in Scotland, taking the time to tell a particularly intriguing saga of a deceitful lord who killed an adversary, cut his head, attached the latter to his horse, and cut himself while mounting it because of the severed head's teeth, causing his leg to get infected and leading to his death (I believe this would be a good example of karma?). Follow treatment on Ireland ans Wales.
Spain and the Mediterranean are not ignored with Bjorn Ironsides taking the spotlight but the author explains really well that most Viking raids were not as successful as in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms or Francia. The fact that the Islamic caliphate was really well organized and the Northern Spanish kingdoms were always on war footing made those areas more difficult to raid. Even if the Vikings were able to surprise and plunder, they often suffered heavy casualties with some expeditions returning home with only a quarter or a third of the original contingent.
Bjorn was not on his own and was accompanied by Hastein who sacked a city believing it was Rome. The stratagem he used was exactly the one depicted in the series Vikings by Ragnar to capture Paris: he faked his death and his men asked permission to hold a Christian burial in the city. We now know where the writers took their inspiration from.
The Mediterranean is left behind and the author then takes us to eastern Europe where Rus Kiev is mentioned and the author explains how many Russians consider Ukraine to be the place of birth of Russian civilization. A very relevant remark given today's geopolitical situation.
Ireland, Groenland, also Canada are given a tour.
The chapter on England's Second Viking Age shows us how much the Netflix TV show Valhalla is inaccurate. Probably more so than it its predecessor, Vikings.
The author explains that what eventually led to the halt of Vikings raids was not the fact that their target were becoming more efficient at defending themselves but mostly because the state formation process in Scandinavia reached its end, with stable kingdoms answering to a centralized authority who had much more power to control its inhabitants. He also describes how everywhere they went, the Vikings assimilated to the local culture and a few generations later, they were indistinct from the locals. In fact, as the author said, the Vikings did not scandinavise Europe but Europe did europeanise Scandinavia. And where the Vikings did not assimilate (or adapt to the local way of life), they did not last (eg: Greenland. Fun fact, it was named as such by its discoverer for the purpose of attracting other settlers).
Overall, this book provides a very complete and accessible picture of the Vikings to any reader who wishes to know more. I have not read other books on the topic but this seems like a very decent option. It definitely deserves its place on my bookshelf!
However, as we know TV shows producers tend to take many liberties, I felt compelled to grab a good academic history book on the subject and this one did not disappoint.
Haywood starts with a quick overview of the Viking religion and mythology, which I think is a great way to introduce the topic. Anthony Everitt did something similar in The Rise of Athens and I found it was an effective way to help the reader get familiar with the mythology, which may eventually wake an interest. He proceeds to explain the origins of the Vikings through the Stone Age and the Bronze Age, relying heavily on archeological findings to provide blurry but sufficiently clear pictures of the centuries that preceded the Viking movements toward Western Europe toward 789.
I thought it was fascinating to understand the inner workings of Scandinavian society (societies) in order to explain what led the Vikings to move as they did. A mix of environmental pressure (not enough space for agriculture despite a growing population), a warrior society where many individuals could be claimants for a throne but few were chosen, leaving the rest to find other avenues, a system where leaders needed to ensure their following were provided with wealth and privileges if they were to guarantee their loyalty, and a religion that told men that if they died old in their bed, they woul not go to Valhalla. Those are some of the factors that help explain why the people inhabiting Scandinavia at this time decided to raid and settle elsewhere and why they were so violent.
Vikings have received a lot of bad press in the past, thanks to the Christian chroniclers who had every reason of painting the pagans in a negative light. In the past few years, Vikings have been depicted in popular media in a much more positive light, often giving them the role of the "good pagans" vs the "mean christians". It is, for example, striking to see in numerous TV shows the Vikings reveling in killing unarmed monks as well as women but still being depicted as being the good guys. They'll also often be depicted as the more cunning ones vs the less smart Christians. This positive view is also displayed in the academically world where, for example, historians such as Michael Pyne in The Edge of the World, will focus more on the settler and trader aspects of the Vikings (which are very important) while downplaying their violent behaviour which resulted in the incessant raids in Western Europe that so traumatized the chroniclers. With Haywood, the view of Vikings tends to be objective but their violence and ruthlessness is not downplayed. He explains for example how during the war with Alfred the Great, they swore an oath on their own Norse religion items and gave hostages so that they would leave. However, they lied and soon returned to wage war, reneging on their oath and abandoning the hostages to their fate. This is not to say that Christians did not do such thing but it does show that Vikings were ruthless and the chroniclers are not necessarily entirely wrong.
Once we get to the first "main invasions" of 789 and beyond, we start with the famous sack or Lindisfarne and quickly move on to discover Alfred the Great and his reforms that helped the Anglo-Saxons resist better to Vikings. Ragnar and his sons are very quickly skimmed over, which is a bit of a downer when you're a fan of the tv series. This may be proof that the TV show overplayed Ragnar's importance? Regardless, we follow Alfred until his death, succeeded by his son Edward who managed to conquer most of the Viking kingdoms with the exception of the kingdom of York until we reach the end of the unification of England which, the author argues, may not have happened without the Vikings' intervention.
Follow the Vikings raids in Francia where they were taking advantage of the political instability. The Frankish kings were busier reasserting their authority and putting down disloyal lords and often paid Vikings to make them go away, which as a result attracted more of them who looked for the same thing. The author describes the multiple sieges of Paris that took place and one who has seen the Vikings TV series can hardly not think about the Siege of Paris depicted there.
The author finishes his overview of Vikings in Francia by declaring that the Vikings' influence was not as central to the making of Francia compared to England. Regardless of their presence, Frankish royal authority would have been struggling against the local lords. Viking influence did accelerate the decline but it was not the driving factor. Finally, Haywood explains clearly that by the time of William the Conqueror, the Normans were indeed fully assimilated to French culture. They fought the same way, spoke the same language, adopted the same customs. Thus, they truly assimilated to the local population, just as they did in England, Ireland, Scotland, and pretty much anywhere they settled with a few exceptions.
The author is careful to give England and Scotland separate treatments and goes on to tell the story of the Vikings in Scotland, taking the time to tell a particularly intriguing saga of a deceitful lord who killed an adversary, cut his head, attached the latter to his horse, and cut himself while mounting it because of the severed head's teeth, causing his leg to get infected and leading to his death (I believe this would be a good example of karma?). Follow treatment on Ireland ans Wales.
Spain and the Mediterranean are not ignored with Bjorn Ironsides taking the spotlight but the author explains really well that most Viking raids were not as successful as in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms or Francia. The fact that the Islamic caliphate was really well organized and the Northern Spanish kingdoms were always on war footing made those areas more difficult to raid. Even if the Vikings were able to surprise and plunder, they often suffered heavy casualties with some expeditions returning home with only a quarter or a third of the original contingent.
Bjorn was not on his own and was accompanied by Hastein who sacked a city believing it was Rome. The stratagem he used was exactly the one depicted in the series Vikings by Ragnar to capture Paris: he faked his death and his men asked permission to hold a Christian burial in the city. We now know where the writers took their inspiration from.
The Mediterranean is left behind and the author then takes us to eastern Europe where Rus Kiev is mentioned and the author explains how many Russians consider Ukraine to be the place of birth of Russian civilization. A very relevant remark given today's geopolitical situation.
Ireland, Groenland, also Canada are given a tour.
The chapter on England's Second Viking Age shows us how much the Netflix TV show Valhalla is inaccurate. Probably more so than it its predecessor, Vikings.
The author explains that what eventually led to the halt of Vikings raids was not the fact that their target were becoming more efficient at defending themselves but mostly because the state formation process in Scandinavia reached its end, with stable kingdoms answering to a centralized authority who had much more power to control its inhabitants. He also describes how everywhere they went, the Vikings assimilated to the local culture and a few generations later, they were indistinct from the locals. In fact, as the author said, the Vikings did not scandinavise Europe but Europe did europeanise Scandinavia. And where the Vikings did not assimilate (or adapt to the local way of life), they did not last (eg: Greenland. Fun fact, it was named as such by its discoverer for the purpose of attracting other settlers).
Overall, this book provides a very complete and accessible picture of the Vikings to any reader who wishes to know more. I have not read other books on the topic but this seems like a very decent option. It definitely deserves its place on my bookshelf!
June 30, 2021
It’s a good read.
At first I didn’t particularly like the format of this text as each chapter focuses on a certain region of the globe and the Vikings dealings within each region. It grew on me however, and appreciated it by the second half of the text.
Haywood does a good job describing the events of the Viking world and found the text to be good but not great.
3.5/5
Happy reading, everybody!
At first I didn’t particularly like the format of this text as each chapter focuses on a certain region of the globe and the Vikings dealings within each region. It grew on me however, and appreciated it by the second half of the text.
Haywood does a good job describing the events of the Viking world and found the text to be good but not great.
3.5/5
Happy reading, everybody!
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