19343 - The Viking Age in Europe

Course Overview

In the late 700s, Viking raiders first appeared off the coast of Britain and Ireland and quickly came to be regarded as the scourge of Christian Europe.  Attacks on the British Isles, particularly monasteries, were followed by attacks on cities and monasteries throughout western Europe.  By the mid-800s, Vikings had also established themselves as rulers of the mighty river systems of eastern Europe, building a capital at Kiev and threatening both Byzantine and Abbasid outposts in the Black and Caspian Seas.  But where local military forces were able to respond to the Viking raids and thwart them, the Vikings turned to trade as a means to get what they wanted.  Eventually, the Vikings also settled in places they had previously raided, converting to Christianity and intermarrying with the local populations.  In this class, we’ll examine the factors that led the Vikings to begin their raids as well as how various local populations responded to the attacks.  We’ll also focus on the linguistic, cultural, and political impact the Vikings had on medieval Europe.