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Viking Britain
A new narrative history of the Viking Age, interwoven with exploration of the physical remains and landscapes that the Vikings fashioned and walked: their rune-stones and ship burials, settlements and battlefields.
Britain in the Viking Age was a turbulent violent place, and the war-lords of the age have names that fire the blood and stir the imagination – Alfred the Great and Ivar the Boneless, Edmund Ironside and Erik Bloodaxe, Macbeth and Thorfinn Skullsplitter (to name but a few). The way in which their stories intersect with real places offers potential for a richly textured narrative. By drawing together narrative history, new academic research and first-hand experience, Tom Williams offers a vital evocation of a forgotten world, its echoes in later history and its implications for the present.
A Viking Britain truly existed, and its historical and cultural footprint is in many ways broader and deeper than Rome’s. Between the conventional beginning of the Viking Age in the late eighth century and its close in the eleventh, Scandinavian people and culture were involved with Britain to a degree that has left a permanent impression on these islands. They came to plunder and, ultimately, to settle, to colonize and to rule. By the time of the Norman Conquest, much of Britain might justifiably be described as ‘Viking’, and in language, literature, place-names and folklore, the presence of Scandinavian settlers can still be felt. Indeed, the Vikings have been a powerful cultural force in modern times. Their representation in paintings, novels and operas – from the music of Elgar to the writing of Kipling, Morris and Tolkien – has had a profound impact on the British psyche. Much of what we imagine when we think of the Vikings – even the word ‘Viking’ itself – grew, not form the Viking Age itself, but from the political, literary and artistic currents of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Here, too, a Viking Britain came alive.
Britain in the Viking Age was a turbulent violent place, and the war-lords of the age have names that fire the blood and stir the imagination – Alfred the Great and Ivar the Boneless, Edmund Ironside and Erik Bloodaxe, Macbeth and Thorfinn Skullsplitter (to name but a few). The way in which their stories intersect with real places offers potential for a richly textured narrative. By drawing together narrative history, new academic research and first-hand experience, Tom Williams offers a vital evocation of a forgotten world, its echoes in later history and its implications for the present.
A Viking Britain truly existed, and its historical and cultural footprint is in many ways broader and deeper than Rome’s. Between the conventional beginning of the Viking Age in the late eighth century and its close in the eleventh, Scandinavian people and culture were involved with Britain to a degree that has left a permanent impression on these islands. They came to plunder and, ultimately, to settle, to colonize and to rule. By the time of the Norman Conquest, much of Britain might justifiably be described as ‘Viking’, and in language, literature, place-names and folklore, the presence of Scandinavian settlers can still be felt. Indeed, the Vikings have been a powerful cultural force in modern times. Their representation in paintings, novels and operas – from the music of Elgar to the writing of Kipling, Morris and Tolkien – has had a profound impact on the British psyche. Much of what we imagine when we think of the Vikings – even the word ‘Viking’ itself – grew, not form the Viking Age itself, but from the political, literary and artistic currents of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Here, too, a Viking Britain came alive.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2017
242 people are currently reading
1945 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Williams
6 books29 followersThomas Williams is a historian of the early Middle Ages and a former curator at the British Museum’s Department of Coins and Medals (2017-2018). He worked as project curator for the major international exhibition Vikings: Life and Legend (British Museum 2014) and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.
In 2016 Thomas was awarded his PhD by UCL’s Institute of Archaeology. His thesis, funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, investigated the relationship between landscape and warfare in early medieval Britain (c.450 – 1016). Prior to this he gained an MA with Distinction in Cultural Heritage Studies (UCL) with a prize-winning dissertation that explored the role of fantasy and medievalism in the modern interpretation of cultural heritage sites in Britain and Germany.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This is Thomas^^Williams. (2 spaces)
In 2016 Thomas was awarded his PhD by UCL’s Institute of Archaeology. His thesis, funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, investigated the relationship between landscape and warfare in early medieval Britain (c.450 – 1016). Prior to this he gained an MA with Distinction in Cultural Heritage Studies (UCL) with a prize-winning dissertation that explored the role of fantasy and medievalism in the modern interpretation of cultural heritage sites in Britain and Germany.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This is Thomas^^Williams. (2 spaces)
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November 13, 2023Extremely interesting and well written overview of the Viking period inn British history. This is very much a history of the Vikings in Britain, rather than the Vikings in general, so while we get lots of interesting stuff about culture, there's also lots of the politics manouevrings and wars and resistance/response to the waves of onslaught. Very interesting and hugely readable, with a few good jokes, a humanised, not overly reverent attitude to the past and to historiography, and a powerful sense of place and time.
November 13, 2018
This is an interesting book to read, that introduces some basic ideas about Viking/Norse culture, then goes into a long account of the Viking attacks on Britain between 800-1050 AD. There are some nice sections of prose and some personal notes about his journeys in researching this book.
But... but... but...
It's not a history of the Vikings, or the Vikings in Britain, or even Viking Britain - it's a history of the Anglo-Saxons fighting the Vikings, the rise of the House of Wessex, with some explanation of who they were fighting (ie, Vikings).
Although Williams does mention a few archaeological discoveries, in a single page he dismisses the rest of the archaeological record and its interpretation as too complicated and too full of arguments to cover in the book. Which basically sounds like Williams is completely out of his depth outside of reading the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and a few Norse sagas.
Additionally, as with too many books, Williams makes the classic mistake of presuming England = Britain. So we get a lot of English history - specifically based in the South of England - but only a few brief mentions of the long-standing Viking kingdoms based along the coast of Scotland the Isle of Man (are they no longer British?), let alone any in-depth discussion of the Danelaw itself and the establishment of Viking culture in Northern Britain.
So, a well-written and interesting source for discussion of the Anglo-Saxons with some insight into their enemies - but a book about this Vikings this is not.
But... but... but...
It's not a history of the Vikings, or the Vikings in Britain, or even Viking Britain - it's a history of the Anglo-Saxons fighting the Vikings, the rise of the House of Wessex, with some explanation of who they were fighting (ie, Vikings).
Although Williams does mention a few archaeological discoveries, in a single page he dismisses the rest of the archaeological record and its interpretation as too complicated and too full of arguments to cover in the book. Which basically sounds like Williams is completely out of his depth outside of reading the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and a few Norse sagas.
Additionally, as with too many books, Williams makes the classic mistake of presuming England = Britain. So we get a lot of English history - specifically based in the South of England - but only a few brief mentions of the long-standing Viking kingdoms based along the coast of Scotland the Isle of Man (are they no longer British?), let alone any in-depth discussion of the Danelaw itself and the establishment of Viking culture in Northern Britain.
So, a well-written and interesting source for discussion of the Anglo-Saxons with some insight into their enemies - but a book about this Vikings this is not.
September 10, 2018
Just when you thought you'd read it all about the Vikings - even going so far as to go live in their homelands - a book like this comes along and you realise how little you really know.
Who doesn't love the Vikings? Everyone. Yes, even you. But how much about them do we really know? How much have we 'learned' from TV and film sources? Not the most reliable guardians of historical knowledge, I'm sure you'll agree. How much are we who we are, because they were who they were? Are they still to be found with us today? Or in us? It's with books like this, that we can come away from "Hey ho! Let's go a-raidin' - just because we can!" with smiles nestling in beards baloney, and once again touch base with facts - and new facts at that.
Viking Britain, does as it states on the cover and relate the story, in a kind of chronological time line as much as possible - given the need in many areas, to go off towards the rest of Europe and North Atlantic - analysing their history as it relates to their activities in and around Britain. That includes, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. As I say, I have read many, many histories of the Vikings in my time, I know a bit, I'm no expert, so I need books like these as much as the next person. On starting, I did think 'do we really need another book about the Vikings?' Well, yes we do, with the regard to the fact that there are both new ways of recovering new evidence and new ways of looking at the evidence we have recovered, being developed all the time. Viking Britain uses many of these new strands of research to further develop ideas previously encountered, and also to go in new directions. It is always readable, thanks to the time-line style, developing like a story (or should it be Saga?) keeping your attention focussed on taking onboard what made the Vikings in Britain who we've become. You see what I did there?
There is still, I feel, something missing here. A look at the fact that the Vikings who came to England were from the same (rough) area as the Jutes who, along with the Angles and Saxons, had made the same journey a couple of hundred years before. Was there any residual memory? I'm not saying deja vu, more a realisation that save for a few hundred years apart, they were attacking many of their own ancestors' descendants! As did the Normans of course, in 1066. I'd like to have seen a look at that little nugget.
So, I'm thinking, how can a people who invaded Britain still be held by the British in such high regard, even loved? In a way the Normans - themselves descendants of Vikings - are not? They came, they plundered, they conquered large parts of the country, they ruled, they took half the population away to sell as slaves, and yet are still heroic fantastic fantasy figures. Their beliefs undergoing a resurgence. Unfortunately attracting a lot of the 'if you don't like it hit it with an axe and all the pseudo-bollocks, rent a meaningful statement, but really xenophobia, go out and conquer like the Vikings, but woe betide the bastards if they want to come and settle in your land, 'honour your ancestors' crap. Maybe it's their simplicity that attracts. Simplicity of their life, the seeming simplicity of their purpose - go, kill, raid, take. The answer is of course, that they were much more pragmatic than they are often given credit for, they came, liked what they saw, and stayed. Eventually being fully integrated and as British as you and I. They are in us now, in the way we look, the way we talk, and therefore in the way we think. Britain (especially) owes so much to the Vikings - we wouldn't be who we are now if they hadn't been who they were then.
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Who doesn't love the Vikings? Everyone. Yes, even you. But how much about them do we really know? How much have we 'learned' from TV and film sources? Not the most reliable guardians of historical knowledge, I'm sure you'll agree. How much are we who we are, because they were who they were? Are they still to be found with us today? Or in us? It's with books like this, that we can come away from "Hey ho! Let's go a-raidin' - just because we can!" with smiles nestling in beards baloney, and once again touch base with facts - and new facts at that.
Viking Britain, does as it states on the cover and relate the story, in a kind of chronological time line as much as possible - given the need in many areas, to go off towards the rest of Europe and North Atlantic - analysing their history as it relates to their activities in and around Britain. That includes, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. As I say, I have read many, many histories of the Vikings in my time, I know a bit, I'm no expert, so I need books like these as much as the next person. On starting, I did think 'do we really need another book about the Vikings?' Well, yes we do, with the regard to the fact that there are both new ways of recovering new evidence and new ways of looking at the evidence we have recovered, being developed all the time. Viking Britain uses many of these new strands of research to further develop ideas previously encountered, and also to go in new directions. It is always readable, thanks to the time-line style, developing like a story (or should it be Saga?) keeping your attention focussed on taking onboard what made the Vikings in Britain who we've become. You see what I did there?
There is still, I feel, something missing here. A look at the fact that the Vikings who came to England were from the same (rough) area as the Jutes who, along with the Angles and Saxons, had made the same journey a couple of hundred years before. Was there any residual memory? I'm not saying deja vu, more a realisation that save for a few hundred years apart, they were attacking many of their own ancestors' descendants! As did the Normans of course, in 1066. I'd like to have seen a look at that little nugget.
So, I'm thinking, how can a people who invaded Britain still be held by the British in such high regard, even loved? In a way the Normans - themselves descendants of Vikings - are not? They came, they plundered, they conquered large parts of the country, they ruled, they took half the population away to sell as slaves, and yet are still heroic fantastic fantasy figures. Their beliefs undergoing a resurgence. Unfortunately attracting a lot of the 'if you don't like it hit it with an axe and all the pseudo-bollocks, rent a meaningful statement, but really xenophobia, go out and conquer like the Vikings, but woe betide the bastards if they want to come and settle in your land, 'honour your ancestors' crap. Maybe it's their simplicity that attracts. Simplicity of their life, the seeming simplicity of their purpose - go, kill, raid, take. The answer is of course, that they were much more pragmatic than they are often given credit for, they came, liked what they saw, and stayed. Eventually being fully integrated and as British as you and I. They are in us now, in the way we look, the way we talk, and therefore in the way we think. Britain (especially) owes so much to the Vikings - we wouldn't be who we are now if they hadn't been who they were then.
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April 29, 2020
A fascinating blend of history, myth, and literature. Review to follow...
February 26, 2019
I don't like writing poor reviews, especially when the author so clearly knows his field, but this book is dreadful.
Williams can't keep to one thread, either geographically, politically or chronologically, and seems powerless to resist his urge to wander hopelessly off topic. At one stage he writes three pages about a trip that he took to the Lake District, and how his car got stuck on a cart track and he needed a push from some passing hikers. A few pages later he manages to cover 5 military engagements that took place in 1016 in two sentences.
I kept reading in the hope that he would somehow snap out of it, only to be sorely disappointed.
Williams can't keep to one thread, either geographically, politically or chronologically, and seems powerless to resist his urge to wander hopelessly off topic. At one stage he writes three pages about a trip that he took to the Lake District, and how his car got stuck on a cart track and he needed a push from some passing hikers. A few pages later he manages to cover 5 military engagements that took place in 1016 in two sentences.
I kept reading in the hope that he would somehow snap out of it, only to be sorely disappointed.
July 15, 2022
This is not your usual history. The book mixes personal anecdotes and brief bits of fiction with a chronological history of the vikings' activities in Britain. It benefits from the reader knowing a little about the subject already, as a lot of the detail is somewhat cursory, although this is perhaps a mark of honesty on Williams' part as it reflects just how little is known for certain about the period. The book also ends a little abruptly, before the Battle of Hastings. However, the writing is supremely evocative, and provides a strong sense of the continuity of history, rather than it being a distant thing made of readily divisible parts.
February 7, 2020
Due to a lack of alternative sources beyond the Saxon chronicles this book would be more aptly named fighting the Vikings in Britain.
The author valiantly and largely successfully makes the point that the Vikings were not just homicidal marauders. In fact they they were homicidal marauders and other things. The other things is not entirely clear but trading, craftsman and the glue that connected Britain to the rest of Northern Europe are some of the areas covered. I enjoyed the authors asides, on various unpleasant camping trips in search of first hand communing with Viking sites, a great deal.
The basic conclusion was the vikings became British no more alien than the Saxons and the Angles who had preceded them in bloody conquest before. Oh and for good weather one would be much better off studying the aztecs.
The author valiantly and largely successfully makes the point that the Vikings were not just homicidal marauders. In fact they they were homicidal marauders and other things. The other things is not entirely clear but trading, craftsman and the glue that connected Britain to the rest of Northern Europe are some of the areas covered. I enjoyed the authors asides, on various unpleasant camping trips in search of first hand communing with Viking sites, a great deal.
The basic conclusion was the vikings became British no more alien than the Saxons and the Angles who had preceded them in bloody conquest before. Oh and for good weather one would be much better off studying the aztecs.
July 20, 2019
Recently I’ve found myself delving deep (ok I read two books) into Viking Age Britain, personally I blame the cinematic kineticism of modern historical depictions, think History’s Vikings or Netflix’s The Last Kingdom, TV shows that bring history to life and offer a sometimes brutal escapism from modern life. TV worlds are built upon the archetype of heroic protagonists, striving to survive in cruel and inhospitable worlds, worlds where a leaders’ strength of purpose was matched by their strength of arms, where the cruelty and barbarism of humanity could be overcome by a king and his pure convictions. It goes without saying (though I am saying it) that the highly stylised depictions of heroics afforded us through TV, while gloriously entertaining, may not accurately represent historicity and leaves the audience with an exaggerated representation of Viking identity.
This thorny issue of Viking identity forms the core theme of ‘Viking Britain’ by the Historian and writer Thomas Williams who formerly worked as a curator on the major international exhibition Vikings: Life and Legend. It was whilst working on Vikings: Life and Legend that Williams, prompted by a critique that lamented the lack of gory bloodshed (and any actual Vikings hewing men), began to see how the modern depictions of Viking identity are coloured by their reputation as history’s bogeymen. There is, of course, more to the Vikings than their murderous reputation, particularly in their impact on the British Isles and throughout ‘Viking Britain’ Williams sets out to reclaim Viking historicity and “restore dignity” to Viking identity.
Well… that seemed to be the aim set out in Williams’ preface to the book, I’m not quite convinced Williams didn’t actively set out to prove the critique wrong however as ‘Viking Britain’ seems to revel in the very bloodthirsty reputation of the Vikings that was sorely missed from the Vikings: Life and Legend exhibition.
Williams’ fascination with the bloodthirsty Viking identity is evident in his choice of sources and in how he structures his book. Chapters are begun with poetic, religious, saga or even more contemporary modern quotes that over time have fuelled the modern reception of Vikings as a hard and dangerous people. Even the choice of chapter title reads like an Amon Amarth (Swedish Viking Metal) track list, ‘Heart of Darkness, Shores in Flames, Eagles of Blood, Bloodaxe’ ominously set the tone. So much for “restoring dignity” to Viking identity. The ominous danger of the Viking identity is also presented by Williams’ own narrative reworking of key historical moments that are drawn from the medieval sagas and chronicles, themselves vested in their own historical contexts and interests in glorifying and goryfying Viking identities. On top of this there are also paragraphs where Williams’ presents descriptions of the landscapes and geography of Britain, like a Viking travel doc Williams embeds himself in the world as it is and how it was. This approach is one of the great successes of the book as it brings ‘Viking Britain’ to life and immerses the reader in a world that is as visceral and vivid as our own. In this way it reflects the cinematic kineticism of contemporary Viking depictions, focusing on the epic narratives and near mythic reputations above historicity. Like the TV shows ‘Viking Britain’ fundamentally has a structural contradiction, what it gains in entertainment is played off against historicity.
Overall it makes Viking Britain seem somewhat paradoxical, academically speaking, in that Williams is essentially providing the evidence against his own proposition of restoring ‘Viking dignity’. In fact, Williams does provides some good analysis and argument around handling a Viking rebrand, particularly when warning about the co-option of Viking identity by fascists in WWII and the danger inherent in cultures that seek to idealise dangerous men. Yet, it is not enough to stop Williams from falling prey to his own idealisation of bloodthirsty Norsemen and at its core ‘Viking Britain’ can’t avoided its own ambiguous concept of Viking identity, reflecting on both their alieness and their familiarity. However this ambiguity does provide Williams with his most intriguing analysis, proposing that Saxon identity was challenged by a Viking identity that represented their primal selves, and perhaps like the Saxons our modern reception of Viking identity, (both in academia and entertainment) shows a longing and a fear for our own primal selves.
This thorny issue of Viking identity forms the core theme of ‘Viking Britain’ by the Historian and writer Thomas Williams who formerly worked as a curator on the major international exhibition Vikings: Life and Legend. It was whilst working on Vikings: Life and Legend that Williams, prompted by a critique that lamented the lack of gory bloodshed (and any actual Vikings hewing men), began to see how the modern depictions of Viking identity are coloured by their reputation as history’s bogeymen. There is, of course, more to the Vikings than their murderous reputation, particularly in their impact on the British Isles and throughout ‘Viking Britain’ Williams sets out to reclaim Viking historicity and “restore dignity” to Viking identity.
Well… that seemed to be the aim set out in Williams’ preface to the book, I’m not quite convinced Williams didn’t actively set out to prove the critique wrong however as ‘Viking Britain’ seems to revel in the very bloodthirsty reputation of the Vikings that was sorely missed from the Vikings: Life and Legend exhibition.
Williams’ fascination with the bloodthirsty Viking identity is evident in his choice of sources and in how he structures his book. Chapters are begun with poetic, religious, saga or even more contemporary modern quotes that over time have fuelled the modern reception of Vikings as a hard and dangerous people. Even the choice of chapter title reads like an Amon Amarth (Swedish Viking Metal) track list, ‘Heart of Darkness, Shores in Flames, Eagles of Blood, Bloodaxe’ ominously set the tone. So much for “restoring dignity” to Viking identity. The ominous danger of the Viking identity is also presented by Williams’ own narrative reworking of key historical moments that are drawn from the medieval sagas and chronicles, themselves vested in their own historical contexts and interests in glorifying and goryfying Viking identities. On top of this there are also paragraphs where Williams’ presents descriptions of the landscapes and geography of Britain, like a Viking travel doc Williams embeds himself in the world as it is and how it was. This approach is one of the great successes of the book as it brings ‘Viking Britain’ to life and immerses the reader in a world that is as visceral and vivid as our own. In this way it reflects the cinematic kineticism of contemporary Viking depictions, focusing on the epic narratives and near mythic reputations above historicity. Like the TV shows ‘Viking Britain’ fundamentally has a structural contradiction, what it gains in entertainment is played off against historicity.
Overall it makes Viking Britain seem somewhat paradoxical, academically speaking, in that Williams is essentially providing the evidence against his own proposition of restoring ‘Viking dignity’. In fact, Williams does provides some good analysis and argument around handling a Viking rebrand, particularly when warning about the co-option of Viking identity by fascists in WWII and the danger inherent in cultures that seek to idealise dangerous men. Yet, it is not enough to stop Williams from falling prey to his own idealisation of bloodthirsty Norsemen and at its core ‘Viking Britain’ can’t avoided its own ambiguous concept of Viking identity, reflecting on both their alieness and their familiarity. However this ambiguity does provide Williams with his most intriguing analysis, proposing that Saxon identity was challenged by a Viking identity that represented their primal selves, and perhaps like the Saxons our modern reception of Viking identity, (both in academia and entertainment) shows a longing and a fear for our own primal selves.
March 22, 2019
I do like factual books that deal with the subject in chronological order, suits my pigeon hole mind some might say!, this book does just that. Setting out by setting the first documented landing at Portland in Dorset and moving on through the known history. Here we have all the myths and legends, learned since a boy, laid bare. No more horned or winged helmets and no mention of King Alfred'd burnt cakes. Such is life. The many Kings their alliances, death and betrayal are prominent. The Viking (Scandinavian) influence upon Britain has endured through to the present.
This book, although a serious study, by Thomas Williams who is a curator at the British Museum, is nevertheless easily read and above all easy to understand even if the references to Old Norse and Old English are difficult to fathom. Poor on my part for not looking up help with the pronunciation. I learned a lot and I have visited the Uffington White Horse and Waylands Smithy among others.
This is a recommended book for anyone interested in this part of British history.
This book, although a serious study, by Thomas Williams who is a curator at the British Museum, is nevertheless easily read and above all easy to understand even if the references to Old Norse and Old English are difficult to fathom. Poor on my part for not looking up help with the pronunciation. I learned a lot and I have visited the Uffington White Horse and Waylands Smithy among others.
This is a recommended book for anyone interested in this part of British history.
July 19, 2018
Brilliant. A gripping, convincing portrait of early Medieaval Britain, beautifully written and with a deep sense of the author's love for the landscapes and stories he's writing about. There's a lovely flippancy to his reading of history, also, which gives the book a deep humanity. Hugeky recommended.
January 7, 2022
’The capacity to think, to remember, to dream, to prepare against whatever the future holds - all of it leads inevitably to the only certainty that the universe can provide: that all things fade and all things fail’
It is my mission this year to actually push myself and read some historical non-fiction books, as I fucking hate them. I decided it was probably best to start off with a time period I actually care about: Viking Britain.
I picked this particular book up as the reviews seemed to agree it is written with an actually readable prose and, unlike other historians *cough* John Guy *cough*, the author isn’t being pretentious and overly confusing to compensate for something. Fortunately, Thomas Williams isn’t pretentious and this book was written in a very informative but also easy to understand way, and while I still partially struggled with it, I didn’t feel like ripping my own eyeballs out and microwaving them.
I wasn’t such a big fan of the tangents he tended to go on in certain chapters, such as when he spent about 12 pages going into horrifically specific detail about Ashdown. No, not about the Battle of Ashdown, I mean the geography of Ashdown. It was as exciting as it sounds. Please save that kind of energy for the battles, society, travel and the historical figures next time. Additionally there was a LOT in this book that was on the French, and for a book called ‘Viking Britain’ I came out of this knowing next to nothing on Scotland, Wales and Ireland. It also suffered deeply from the Wessexfication of modern Viking media, which I honestly believe is the fault of Bernard Cornwell and The Last Kingdom series. Despite this, I still enjoyed expanding my knowledge on the Viking period, and Williams has definitely inspired me to read more about it.
To conclude, here’s some cute facts i thought were noteworthy and fun:
1. Ragnar Lothbrok translates to Ragnar Hairy-breeches. I will never recover from this news.
2. Ivar the Boneless was ALLEGEDLY buried in a catacomb at Repton that contained 1686 bones of 264 people - thought this was metal as fuck and very in character.
3. The Vikings weren’t homophobic (didn’t think a man having sex with another man was bad) but didn’t like things they considered ‘unmanly’ such as dressing as a woman, refusing to fight, practicing magic etc. However, having sex with another man was not considered ‘unmanly’ and was seen as a form of celebration. ALSO (ironically) they were fine with Loki shape-shifting into a woman and giving birth (as a female horse).
4. Tolkien called Hitler ‘that ruddy little ignoramus’ as he believed he was ruining, perverting and misconstruing the ‘noble northern spirit’ which Tolkien personally loved, believed heavily contributed to Europe’s development and was a beautiful culture, which he tried to show through his work.
5. Ivar the Boneless’s name literally doesn’t make any sense. Legend says his mother Aslaug told Ragnar they had to wait 3 days before consummating their marriage or their son would be born with no bones. It’s been speculated that he had brittle bones disease or had no use of his legs BUT he is also credited as being one of the greatest Viking warriors in history, as well as supposedly being very tall, and is classed as a ‘berserker’ (a warrior so enamoured with fury in battle they are almost in a trance - it’s where the English word ‘berserk’ comes from). The second theory is that the ‘Boneless’ was a metaphor for his agility and physical flexibility, as he is often credited as having in modern day media, which also discredits him having no use of his legs. The third and final theory is that it is a nickname for him being impotent and certain tales state the only lust he had was for battle. However this can also be contradicted as he is documented as having had children, his supposed grandsons Ragnall, Sihtric and Guthfrith all 3 being Kings of Northumbria between c. 914-927.
6. Bluetooth is named after the Danish King Harald Bluetooth (died c. 985). No, there is literally no correlation. Go figure.
It is my mission this year to actually push myself and read some historical non-fiction books, as I fucking hate them. I decided it was probably best to start off with a time period I actually care about: Viking Britain.
I picked this particular book up as the reviews seemed to agree it is written with an actually readable prose and, unlike other historians *cough* John Guy *cough*, the author isn’t being pretentious and overly confusing to compensate for something. Fortunately, Thomas Williams isn’t pretentious and this book was written in a very informative but also easy to understand way, and while I still partially struggled with it, I didn’t feel like ripping my own eyeballs out and microwaving them.
I wasn’t such a big fan of the tangents he tended to go on in certain chapters, such as when he spent about 12 pages going into horrifically specific detail about Ashdown. No, not about the Battle of Ashdown, I mean the geography of Ashdown. It was as exciting as it sounds. Please save that kind of energy for the battles, society, travel and the historical figures next time. Additionally there was a LOT in this book that was on the French, and for a book called ‘Viking Britain’ I came out of this knowing next to nothing on Scotland, Wales and Ireland. It also suffered deeply from the Wessexfication of modern Viking media, which I honestly believe is the fault of Bernard Cornwell and The Last Kingdom series. Despite this, I still enjoyed expanding my knowledge on the Viking period, and Williams has definitely inspired me to read more about it.
To conclude, here’s some cute facts i thought were noteworthy and fun:
1. Ragnar Lothbrok translates to Ragnar Hairy-breeches. I will never recover from this news.
2. Ivar the Boneless was ALLEGEDLY buried in a catacomb at Repton that contained 1686 bones of 264 people - thought this was metal as fuck and very in character.
3. The Vikings weren’t homophobic (didn’t think a man having sex with another man was bad) but didn’t like things they considered ‘unmanly’ such as dressing as a woman, refusing to fight, practicing magic etc. However, having sex with another man was not considered ‘unmanly’ and was seen as a form of celebration. ALSO (ironically) they were fine with Loki shape-shifting into a woman and giving birth (as a female horse).
4. Tolkien called Hitler ‘that ruddy little ignoramus’ as he believed he was ruining, perverting and misconstruing the ‘noble northern spirit’ which Tolkien personally loved, believed heavily contributed to Europe’s development and was a beautiful culture, which he tried to show through his work.
5. Ivar the Boneless’s name literally doesn’t make any sense. Legend says his mother Aslaug told Ragnar they had to wait 3 days before consummating their marriage or their son would be born with no bones. It’s been speculated that he had brittle bones disease or had no use of his legs BUT he is also credited as being one of the greatest Viking warriors in history, as well as supposedly being very tall, and is classed as a ‘berserker’ (a warrior so enamoured with fury in battle they are almost in a trance - it’s where the English word ‘berserk’ comes from). The second theory is that the ‘Boneless’ was a metaphor for his agility and physical flexibility, as he is often credited as having in modern day media, which also discredits him having no use of his legs. The third and final theory is that it is a nickname for him being impotent and certain tales state the only lust he had was for battle. However this can also be contradicted as he is documented as having had children, his supposed grandsons Ragnall, Sihtric and Guthfrith all 3 being Kings of Northumbria between c. 914-927.
6. Bluetooth is named after the Danish King Harald Bluetooth (died c. 985). No, there is literally no correlation. Go figure.
September 7, 2018
This book attempts, successfully, to divert the focus from the rampaging and bloodthirsty Viking tales we are probably mostly familiar with. It's all there though; monastery destruction, priest killings, a horrendous torture called The Raven and an excruciating tale of a poor Viking chap who had is 'dangly bits' (sic) removed by a sword blow and had a boar's tusk in its place. However, the bulk of the book is actually about them being in Britain (as you would hope) - their movement, trading, assimilation of populace, relationships with locals and there is a lot to learn about characters who share the stage such as King Alfred. I enjoyed the book a lot and it is very easy to read, I think Thomas Williams would make a decent novelist himself based on the evocative prose passages that set the scene for historical fact.
December 29, 2017
I absolutely loved this book. Factual books always run the risk of being dry as dust, but this is a hugely entertaining journey through the Viking age. Thomas Williams writes so well and with such evocative descriptions, he really ought to consider penning some more novels. Highly recommended.
November 2, 2024
What a book, what a BOOK! Everything I wanted from a history of Viking Britain and a lot that I didn't know I wanted but it turns out I definitely did.
An absolute roller coaster from start to finish, detailing Britain's interaction with Scandinavian peoples from the first raids in the late eight century to the full-scale takeover in the eleventh. What I most loved was Williams's way of narrating history whose solid historical background was coloured by close engagement with archaeological evidence and extracts from contemporary literature, interspersed by cuts to first-person narrative (historical and present) making it feel all the more immediate and real.
It gets you thinking about how before the Norman conquest the islands making up Britain were part of a 'North Sea' area, in whose culture (language, mythology, law, art, etc.) it shared, and the traces of which remain deeply etched. The book also deals with its complex historical legacy--such as the sense of Viking identity drawn upon especially in the twentieth century by various nationalist parties. Eye-opening both into our early history and the present day.
Get yourself reading this book! In the meantime, if you want me, I'll be taking to the seas on a longboat....
An absolute roller coaster from start to finish, detailing Britain's interaction with Scandinavian peoples from the first raids in the late eight century to the full-scale takeover in the eleventh. What I most loved was Williams's way of narrating history whose solid historical background was coloured by close engagement with archaeological evidence and extracts from contemporary literature, interspersed by cuts to first-person narrative (historical and present) making it feel all the more immediate and real.
It gets you thinking about how before the Norman conquest the islands making up Britain were part of a 'North Sea' area, in whose culture (language, mythology, law, art, etc.) it shared, and the traces of which remain deeply etched. The book also deals with its complex historical legacy--such as the sense of Viking identity drawn upon especially in the twentieth century by various nationalist parties. Eye-opening both into our early history and the present day.
Get yourself reading this book! In the meantime, if you want me, I'll be taking to the seas on a longboat....
October 26, 2020
بدأت هذا الكتاب بخلفية مسبقة عن تواجد الفايكينج في بريطانيا، فقط كنت احتاج إجابة عن بعض الأسئلة والقليل من التنظيم لمعلوماتي، ولكن بعد انتهائها منه لم أجد جوابا لأسئلتي بل وخرجت منه بأسئلة أكثر مما دخلت بها، اظن أن هذه علامة من علامات الكتب العظيمة.
When I started reading this book, I had a some knowledge about Viking presence in Britain, but I had a few questions that needed to be answered so that I could arrange all the information in my head and put things together in a timeline, so I was like cool this book will help me do that, but I think that I finished it with even more questions so this has to be a sign of a great book ,eh?
When I started reading this book, I had a some knowledge about Viking presence in Britain, but I had a few questions that needed to be answered so that I could arrange all the information in my head and put things together in a timeline, so I was like cool this book will help me do that, but I think that I finished it with even more questions so this has to be a sign of a great book ,eh?
dnf-shelf
February 7, 2023DNF @ 64%
This was so brilliantly boring that it was perfect for putting me to sleep at night as an audio. Never longer than 5 minutes in, I normally last longer with other books. But then the war started and I couldn't bring myself to listen to stuff about bloody history. So I'm DNFing.
This was so brilliantly boring that it was perfect for putting me to sleep at night as an audio. Never longer than 5 minutes in, I normally last longer with other books. But then the war started and I couldn't bring myself to listen to stuff about bloody history. So I'm DNFing.
February 19, 2020
Found this book a bit of a slog to get through at times - the author has a tendency to ramble off on tangents and it can get a little distracting and off-putting at times.
However, I'm glad I persevered as the last third of the book (covering the period after the reign of King Alfred) was particularly interesting and bought the book an extra star in my rating. Also enjoyed learning about some of the archaeological discoveries from the Viking Age such as hogback stones and the Cuerdale Hoard.
Would've also liked to read more about Vikings in Wales as there are a fair few place names near me of Nordic origin, so it'd be interesting to learn their history, but it may be that not much is known and that was why most of the book was centred around England and particularly Wessex.
All in all I feel like I actually learned more about the Anglo-Saxons than the Vikings from this book and would therefore recommend it to people who already have a fair bit of knowledge about Viking history.
However, I'm glad I persevered as the last third of the book (covering the period after the reign of King Alfred) was particularly interesting and bought the book an extra star in my rating. Also enjoyed learning about some of the archaeological discoveries from the Viking Age such as hogback stones and the Cuerdale Hoard.
Would've also liked to read more about Vikings in Wales as there are a fair few place names near me of Nordic origin, so it'd be interesting to learn their history, but it may be that not much is known and that was why most of the book was centred around England and particularly Wessex.
All in all I feel like I actually learned more about the Anglo-Saxons than the Vikings from this book and would therefore recommend it to people who already have a fair bit of knowledge about Viking history.
November 29, 2019
Parts of this book offered an interesting overview of the Viking role in British history, but focused too much on southern England. Digressions into speculation about Viking behaviour and lifestyle were unhelpful.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2022
That was a slog. It reminded me of history lessons, lots of dates, 🥱 and his attempts to bring it to life were cringeworthy. It’s an interesting subject told in an uninspiring fashion. The book “The Anglo-Saxons” by Marc Morris covers much of the same information but is much more readable.
May 15, 2022
A bit of a list of rulers and dates so I'll need to relisten to it at some point but interesting and successful in giving a much broader image of the groups reasonably recently referred to as vikings.
November 27, 2018
Knowledgeable, scholarly, entertaining, engaging
February 20, 2020
Viking Britain: A History covers the Viking Invasions and Anglo-Saxon response to them. The book is told with cutting observations and humour that really put the events into context. Viking Britain: A History focus is very much from an Anglo-Saxon perspective with the Vikings being given their own perspective as they fight for the English crown. This makes it a more a book about the development of the two cultures and their eventual blending which works giving us all the sides of the events and what was going through the participants minds and the decisions they have to make on the fly.
Viking Britain: A History throughout is highly detailed with familiar landscapes, monuments and locations given their due as the book takes us to them. This serves as a kind of travel guide as parts of the country familiar to us and the events around them are shown clearly. You will certainly not look at things again in the same way if this is your first time encountering them. Imagine and action film and you get the picture!
Viking Britain: A History serves as a great introduction to the topic giving a clear breakdown of the events as well as the arguments that occurred at the time and the more recent debates over them in modern times. At the same time it can serve as a great reference book as well as a place to find further sources. There is also a neat chronology laid out at the end of the book that is handy! Clear and concise throughout and comes across as a epic adventure! Brilliant and highly recommended! Get it When You Can!
Viking Britain: A History throughout is highly detailed with familiar landscapes, monuments and locations given their due as the book takes us to them. This serves as a kind of travel guide as parts of the country familiar to us and the events around them are shown clearly. You will certainly not look at things again in the same way if this is your first time encountering them. Imagine and action film and you get the picture!
Viking Britain: A History serves as a great introduction to the topic giving a clear breakdown of the events as well as the arguments that occurred at the time and the more recent debates over them in modern times. At the same time it can serve as a great reference book as well as a place to find further sources. There is also a neat chronology laid out at the end of the book that is handy! Clear and concise throughout and comes across as a epic adventure! Brilliant and highly recommended! Get it When You Can!
October 1, 2023
This is an interesting book and is well written (although I was not a major fan of the switch to 1st person on occasions throughout the book but this is just stylistic preference more than anything).
In my opinion the book doesn’t really get going until Chapter 7 but once it does it’s very enjoyable and an easy read. This is basically when the book starts offering reasons for why the Vikings choose to raid and ultimately settle in Britain together with a narrative on the subsequent wars with the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms (predominantly Wessex focusing on King Alfred and his successors).
There is also a lot of content on Paganism (with a strong focus on the stories/myths about the Pagan Gods) and the interplay with Christianity as you’d expect given this is such an integral part of the Viking story. The author is very knowledgable on this topic but in my opinion these parts of the book were simply less interesting than the narrative on the Viking raids and wars with the Anglo Saxons. Again, this may just come down to my personal preference in respect of the subject matter as opposed to a criticism of the writing.
In my opinion the book doesn’t really get going until Chapter 7 but once it does it’s very enjoyable and an easy read. This is basically when the book starts offering reasons for why the Vikings choose to raid and ultimately settle in Britain together with a narrative on the subsequent wars with the Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms (predominantly Wessex focusing on King Alfred and his successors).
There is also a lot of content on Paganism (with a strong focus on the stories/myths about the Pagan Gods) and the interplay with Christianity as you’d expect given this is such an integral part of the Viking story. The author is very knowledgable on this topic but in my opinion these parts of the book were simply less interesting than the narrative on the Viking raids and wars with the Anglo Saxons. Again, this may just come down to my personal preference in respect of the subject matter as opposed to a criticism of the writing.
October 8, 2025
The length of time it took me to finish this is not a reflection of how good it was. I was reading this and savouring it. Looking up maps, place names, the etymology of places and how Old Norse sounds more like English than Old English (which makes sense given German sounds more English than French, and English from 1066 onwards is a Frankified language 😆
A fantastic read, evoking the chaos, mythology, danger and mystery of the Viking Age in Britain, while also challenging stereotypes and tropes about the Viking raiders. It speaks to the ancient Anglo-Saxon view against foreign influences which still thrives today, but still ironically accepts parts of Viking culture in and mixes with Anglo Saxon and Briton (Here meaning the ones who were there before the Angles and Saxons, so Welsh, Pict, Irish, etc.) much in the similar manner that a kebab is a more British takeaway today than Fish & Chips.
Williams is a great writer, interspersing ancient chroniclers with imagined characters in the world at the time. The picture develops more of 2 cultures impacting on each other than one destroying another. (Christianity was present in Scandinavia and growing whilst the “heathen” armies marched and raided in Anglia, Wessex and the rest.
So rich, it’s prime for reexamination and would be a fantastic addition to a curriculum on Early British history as well as Scandinavian. Would highly recommend this.
A fantastic read, evoking the chaos, mythology, danger and mystery of the Viking Age in Britain, while also challenging stereotypes and tropes about the Viking raiders. It speaks to the ancient Anglo-Saxon view against foreign influences which still thrives today, but still ironically accepts parts of Viking culture in and mixes with Anglo Saxon and Briton (Here meaning the ones who were there before the Angles and Saxons, so Welsh, Pict, Irish, etc.) much in the similar manner that a kebab is a more British takeaway today than Fish & Chips.
Williams is a great writer, interspersing ancient chroniclers with imagined characters in the world at the time. The picture develops more of 2 cultures impacting on each other than one destroying another. (Christianity was present in Scandinavia and growing whilst the “heathen” armies marched and raided in Anglia, Wessex and the rest.
So rich, it’s prime for reexamination and would be a fantastic addition to a curriculum on Early British history as well as Scandinavian. Would highly recommend this.
February 19, 2024
If it wasn’t for the Vikings Britain would probably have taken longer to coalesce into Britain and the Vikings may have went on pillaging longer.
The ideas of a ruler governing large areas and a large united identity come together in a clash of two civilizations forming today’s England and legend of the Viking hordes.
The book does its best to follow a timeline with related tangents here and there. The author also admits that the historical record is quite one sided as it’s mostly from an English perspective, as the Vikings had few written documents, and the historical writers tend to try put a glow on their subject(s).
It’s an interesting read. Worth taking a look at if you are into the history of England.
The ideas of a ruler governing large areas and a large united identity come together in a clash of two civilizations forming today’s England and legend of the Viking hordes.
The book does its best to follow a timeline with related tangents here and there. The author also admits that the historical record is quite one sided as it’s mostly from an English perspective, as the Vikings had few written documents, and the historical writers tend to try put a glow on their subject(s).
It’s an interesting read. Worth taking a look at if you are into the history of England.
June 22, 2021
I'm usually bored by books that are all about warfare and manly men doing manly male things, but I liked the author's style so much that I really enjoyed Viking Britain. It made me want to read more about the Vikings... though I might try to find one about Viking women.
December 28, 2018
For me, a very solid review of the historical record of Norse contact with Anglo-Saxon Britain was clouded by excursions into imagined historical scenes and accounts of the author’s visits to historical sites. I thought the book’s strength was the wealth of evidence the author brought to bear on his thesis that Viking contact was varied and multi-layered.
February 8, 2018
The Vikings continue to fascinate, bewitch, appal. They terrorised western and eastern Europe from 789 (date of earliest known attack), until the mid/end of the 11th century, and were mainly pagans from the same area as present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.
Read More Book Reviews at It's Good To Read
Formidable sailors, they traversed Europe’s rivers, reaching the famed Constantinople slave markets, as well as settling in places as varied as the Faroe Islands, Newfoundland, Ukraine, France, Turkey and, of course, England, which becomes the main focus of this absorbing book.
Fun Fact: They never actually called themselves Vikings.
Thomas Williams is deeply passionate about his subject. As proof of his credentials, he was a curator for the Vikings: Life and Legend exhibition, held by the British Museum. He is also a practical historian, travelling the length and breadth of the country to visit the sites of famous battles, graveyards, and excavations (dragging his poor wife with him!).
His aim here is to rehabilitate the Vikings in the eyes of the general public, and raise them to their rightful place and status in history. The standard view is of long-haired, wild-eyed berserkers, wholly intent on pillage, rape and murder, uncultured savages with an insatiable taste for blood and destruction of society. Williams indicates that they may actually have been peaceful traders in England long before Lindisfarne, with a deep culture and a well-ordered society.
Why did they do it?
Williams traces, as far as possible with a culture sparse in written records, the origins of the Vikings, and why they erupted in the late 8th century. The conventional wisdom is overcrowding in the fjords, along with the “inheritance tradition” of land division amongst sons and the cultural expectation of young men to win glory and wealth in battle, drove the Vikings to the seas in search of goods and slaves.
Thomas suggests that they reacted to the growing and very real threat of the powerful Charlemagne, who was all-conquering and pushing native peoples before him. He forcefully converted his new subjects to Christianity, imbued as he was with the sense of divine mission. The Vikings realised that his religion threatened they very core beliefs, so opted to harass England (not a unified country then, but a series of small kingdoms), to open new fronts.
What else entertained the Vikings?
They had a powerful mythology, which still resonates today. They had a pantheon of gods, who were as human as they were supernatural (Odin, Thor, Freya, Loki, etc.). They had a whole series of lesser immortals such as the Valkyries, and other races such as the Frost Giants. They had a creation myth, and a powerful apocalyptic myth (Ragnarok). The Viking religion had some commonalities with the British druidism, around blood sacrifice and other rituals.
William’s history is studded with great names. On the Wessex side we start with Beorhtric, in whose reign the first raids started, through to Aethelstan, who became King of the English in 927. The Viking Ivar the Boneless, who led the great Heathen Army in 865, had five brothers who also caused mayhem. Guthrum, founder of the Danelaw, who converted to Christianity after his defeat in 878 by Alfred the Great.
Williams convincingly shows how the Vikings, arriving as ruthless and pagan raiders, then stay on to become conquerors, almost by accident. The native kingdoms are shown to be weak, quarrelsome, and divided, and were easy pickings for the invaders. Williams tells of how York fell so easily, practically without a fight. He then goes on to show how their domination of the cultural and political worlds impacted on every aspect of what is now known as Britain, across language, place-names and literature, for centuries afterwards (Tolkien for example took the Norse as his ideal warriors).
Williams cleverly blends fact and fiction to illustrate a point, for example creating scenes illustrating how goods could be used to buy freedom, and to measure out wealth.
Summary:
Viking Britain is not written to gather dust on a university shelf. Williams want the reader to re-engage with their past, and re-assess the impact the much-reviled Vikings have had on modern-day Britain.
He wants to show them as intelligent, far-thinking brave adventurers, who knew how to conquer and how to rule.
Williams effectively evokes the atmosphere of the times, the historical figures are well-developed and made into living people.
This is an easily-accessible entry point into this turbulent part of history (mainly England, but the Home countries and Ireland are touched on as well), and I think a must-read.
Read More Book Reviews at It's Good To Read
Formidable sailors, they traversed Europe’s rivers, reaching the famed Constantinople slave markets, as well as settling in places as varied as the Faroe Islands, Newfoundland, Ukraine, France, Turkey and, of course, England, which becomes the main focus of this absorbing book.
Fun Fact: They never actually called themselves Vikings.
Thomas Williams is deeply passionate about his subject. As proof of his credentials, he was a curator for the Vikings: Life and Legend exhibition, held by the British Museum. He is also a practical historian, travelling the length and breadth of the country to visit the sites of famous battles, graveyards, and excavations (dragging his poor wife with him!).
His aim here is to rehabilitate the Vikings in the eyes of the general public, and raise them to their rightful place and status in history. The standard view is of long-haired, wild-eyed berserkers, wholly intent on pillage, rape and murder, uncultured savages with an insatiable taste for blood and destruction of society. Williams indicates that they may actually have been peaceful traders in England long before Lindisfarne, with a deep culture and a well-ordered society.
Why did they do it?
Williams traces, as far as possible with a culture sparse in written records, the origins of the Vikings, and why they erupted in the late 8th century. The conventional wisdom is overcrowding in the fjords, along with the “inheritance tradition” of land division amongst sons and the cultural expectation of young men to win glory and wealth in battle, drove the Vikings to the seas in search of goods and slaves.
Thomas suggests that they reacted to the growing and very real threat of the powerful Charlemagne, who was all-conquering and pushing native peoples before him. He forcefully converted his new subjects to Christianity, imbued as he was with the sense of divine mission. The Vikings realised that his religion threatened they very core beliefs, so opted to harass England (not a unified country then, but a series of small kingdoms), to open new fronts.
What else entertained the Vikings?
They had a powerful mythology, which still resonates today. They had a pantheon of gods, who were as human as they were supernatural (Odin, Thor, Freya, Loki, etc.). They had a whole series of lesser immortals such as the Valkyries, and other races such as the Frost Giants. They had a creation myth, and a powerful apocalyptic myth (Ragnarok). The Viking religion had some commonalities with the British druidism, around blood sacrifice and other rituals.
William’s history is studded with great names. On the Wessex side we start with Beorhtric, in whose reign the first raids started, through to Aethelstan, who became King of the English in 927. The Viking Ivar the Boneless, who led the great Heathen Army in 865, had five brothers who also caused mayhem. Guthrum, founder of the Danelaw, who converted to Christianity after his defeat in 878 by Alfred the Great.
Williams convincingly shows how the Vikings, arriving as ruthless and pagan raiders, then stay on to become conquerors, almost by accident. The native kingdoms are shown to be weak, quarrelsome, and divided, and were easy pickings for the invaders. Williams tells of how York fell so easily, practically without a fight. He then goes on to show how their domination of the cultural and political worlds impacted on every aspect of what is now known as Britain, across language, place-names and literature, for centuries afterwards (Tolkien for example took the Norse as his ideal warriors).
Williams cleverly blends fact and fiction to illustrate a point, for example creating scenes illustrating how goods could be used to buy freedom, and to measure out wealth.
Summary:
Viking Britain is not written to gather dust on a university shelf. Williams want the reader to re-engage with their past, and re-assess the impact the much-reviled Vikings have had on modern-day Britain.
He wants to show them as intelligent, far-thinking brave adventurers, who knew how to conquer and how to rule.
Williams effectively evokes the atmosphere of the times, the historical figures are well-developed and made into living people.
This is an easily-accessible entry point into this turbulent part of history (mainly England, but the Home countries and Ireland are touched on as well), and I think a must-read.
February 5, 2024
This book raises the question - if a history book very successfully tears down an existing image in the reader's mind but fails to offer a satisfying alternative, can it be a real success?
This is a passionate and imaginative effort to rescue the Vikings from hoary images of horned helmets and pillaging but I didn't come away with a particularly clear image in my mind to replace the stereotype.
Some of this is clearly due to the limitations of the source material, as it is clear that 'Viking Britain' was only a small part of a much wider culture and most of the written material was not from the Vikings themselves. Williams does impressively explore the archaeological record as well, especially beyond southern England where the lack of extensive chronicles requires other sources, but this often feels used only to highlight certain cultural aspects rather than building into a cohesive picture.
The most striking explanations are really those in the first half, of how the Anglo-Saxons regarded the Vikings, "their sundered kinsmen, their gods and their beliefs... rising up out of the darkness, borne on black tides from a world beyond the pale".
Such literary flourishes are a welcome effort to move beyond dry academic prose but the occasional piece of short fiction or adapted translation jolted me out of the narrative and left me questioning how much was conjecture. Williams clearly sympathises with the Victorian antiquarians he mentions who sought to perform scholarship as both art and science, but as he moves away from the written evidence he ends up wandering through too many tangents which aren't pulled together.
That's not helped by Williams' tendency to frequently refer to the inability to be sure of certain elements of the story. While this is welcome in reference to major historical debates --e.g. the dubious blood-eagle ritual-- it's distracting when used for minor detail such as if Charlemagne "ever burst from his throne in rage or retreated to it in search of holy guidance" in answer to Viking raids.
Williams finishes his book hoping that he has undermined the "monolithic form" the Vikings have in popular representation and stress the "complex and contestable" nature of ethnicity and culture. It's successful in those terms but not satisfying.
This is a passionate and imaginative effort to rescue the Vikings from hoary images of horned helmets and pillaging but I didn't come away with a particularly clear image in my mind to replace the stereotype.
Some of this is clearly due to the limitations of the source material, as it is clear that 'Viking Britain' was only a small part of a much wider culture and most of the written material was not from the Vikings themselves. Williams does impressively explore the archaeological record as well, especially beyond southern England where the lack of extensive chronicles requires other sources, but this often feels used only to highlight certain cultural aspects rather than building into a cohesive picture.
The most striking explanations are really those in the first half, of how the Anglo-Saxons regarded the Vikings, "their sundered kinsmen, their gods and their beliefs... rising up out of the darkness, borne on black tides from a world beyond the pale".
Such literary flourishes are a welcome effort to move beyond dry academic prose but the occasional piece of short fiction or adapted translation jolted me out of the narrative and left me questioning how much was conjecture. Williams clearly sympathises with the Victorian antiquarians he mentions who sought to perform scholarship as both art and science, but as he moves away from the written evidence he ends up wandering through too many tangents which aren't pulled together.
That's not helped by Williams' tendency to frequently refer to the inability to be sure of certain elements of the story. While this is welcome in reference to major historical debates --e.g. the dubious blood-eagle ritual-- it's distracting when used for minor detail such as if Charlemagne "ever burst from his throne in rage or retreated to it in search of holy guidance" in answer to Viking raids.
Williams finishes his book hoping that he has undermined the "monolithic form" the Vikings have in popular representation and stress the "complex and contestable" nature of ethnicity and culture. It's successful in those terms but not satisfying.
September 2, 2022
Whilst it does have a more literature approach, this book paints a vivid picture of Viking Britain and is honest enough to tell you when we dont have information regarding certain things and most importantly doesn't impose an assumption. I was thoroughly engrossed in this book and even though I'm well versed in the first 150 years of the viking age, I will definitely seek to become familiar with the likes of Cnut and Edmund Ironside as they both sound formidable. A good place to start if you want to know the landscape of the viking age. Vivid and compelling it was very easy to place myself in this world and immerse myself in all it's facets.
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