The Viking Warrior: The Norse Raiders who terrorised Medieval Europe

by Ben Hubbard

"…and they laid all waste with dreadful havoc, trod with unhallowed feet the holy places, dug up the altars, and carried off all the treasures of the holy church. Some of the brethren they killed; some they carried off in chains; many they cast out, naked and loaded with insults; some they drowned in the sea." —Simeon of Durham, A History of the Community of Durham
Beginning in 789 CE, the Vikings raided monasteries, sacked settlements and invaded the Atlantic coast of Europe and the British Isles. They looted and enslaved their enemies, terrorizing all whom they encountered.
But that is only part of their story. Sailing their famous longboats, they discovered Iceland and North America, colonised Greenland, founded Dublin, and also sailed up the River Seine and besieged Paris. They settled from Newfoundland to Russia, conquered eastern England, and fought battles from Ireland to the Caspian Sea. They traded walruses with Inuits, brought Russian furs to Western Europe and took European slaves to Constantinople. Their graves contain Arab silver, Byzantine silks and Frankish weapons and artefacts.
Illustrated with more than 200 maps, photographs and artworks, The Viking Warrior examines these fearsome warriors through their origins, social structure, raiding culture, weapons, trading networks and settlements.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

380 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Ben Hubbard is an accomplished non-fiction author of books for children and adults. He has more than 160 titles to his name and has written on everything from Space, the Samurai and Sharks, to Poison, Pets and the Plantagenets. His books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and can be found in bookshops, libraries and schools around the world.

Reviews

[Maria-Alexandra Itu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read if you are a "Vikings" or "Vikings: Valhalla" fan. Or a vikings fan, in general.

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very solid, informative book! The book is filled with amazing images and historical documentation that really help the reader visualize the culture and lore of the Vikings. This book did great job at providing detail without being cumbersome or overwhelming or dense. Would definitely recommend for anyone who wants some great knowledge on the Vikings without delving into massive history books.

[Ogre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty accurate but stretches a little information a long way. The index is almost a quarter of the book, and is very redundant, which I suppose is useful should someone be using this as an academic source, but otherwise is rather pointless.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of the viking period. Lots of great pictures, and historical backgound - great for fans of the TV show "Vikings".

[Tiberiu Baranyi · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOT just another book about the Viking world ... nicely presented and very well researched, and there are a lot of beautiful illustrations in the version I got. ( I was reading the Romanian translation of Ben Hubbard's book).
Overall, very well written , if you are interested in the Vikings and their achievements , I recommend you give this book a try.

[QingYi · Rating 4 out of 5]

finding the real story behind the fantasy world

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great overview of the Viking Age with lots of good photos and artwork.

[Zachary Shelton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was a good way to learn about the Vikings. Everything from weapons to exploration. At time there were so many names and places that it was hard to keep up

[Lisa Landreth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not enough about their everyday life